Nigerian girls win Silicon Valley contest for app that spots fake drugs

By Stephanie Busari, CNN and Segun Akande, for CNN

Updated 1351 GMT (2151 HKT) August 17, 2018

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Photos: African innovations tackling serious health problems

Africa is brimming with innovative ideas. These schoolgirls from Nigeria have won the 2018 Technovation Challenge for their app that detects counterfeit medicine.

Scroll through to discover the inventions and innovations coming out of Africa.

Hide Caption

1 of 12

Their mobile app, called, FD-Detector, helps users identify fake medicines using a drug's barcode to verify its authenticity and expiration date.

Photos: African innovations tackling serious health problems

Spotting fake drugs – Their mobile app, called, FD-Detector, helps users identify fake medicines using a drug's barcode to verify its authenticity and expiration date.

Hide Caption

2 of 12

This biomedical smart jacket created by Ugandan inventor Brian Turyabagye can diagnose pneumonia four times faster than a doctor. It analyzes the chest and then sends the information via Bluetooth to a smartphone app. <br /><br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/24/africa/biomedical-jacket-uganda-africa-tech-rising/index.html" target="_blank"> Read more</a> about this biomedical breakthrough.

Photos: African innovations tackling serious health problems

Jacket diagnosing pneumonia – This biomedical smart jacket created by Ugandan inventor Brian Turyabagye can diagnose pneumonia four times faster than a doctor. It analyzes the chest and then sends the information via Bluetooth to a smartphone app.

Read more about this biomedical breakthrough.

Hide Caption

3 of 12

A startup in Dakar, Senegal called JokkoSante helps locals exchange unused medication at a licensed pharmacy for points they can then spend on future medications. <br /><br /><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/03/health/jokkosante-medicine-app-senegal/index.html">Read more</a> about the startup.

Photos: African innovations tackling serious health problems

Virtual pharmacy for unused medicine – A startup in Dakar, Senegal called JokkoSante helps locals exchange unused medication at a licensed pharmacy for points they can then spend on future medications.

Read more about the startup.

Hide Caption

4 of 12

Nigerian inventor, Osh Agabi, created a device that fuses live neurons from mice stem cells into a silicon chip. The device can be used to detect explosives and cancer cells.<br /><br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/28/africa/koniku-kore-tedglobal/index.html">Read more</a> about Agabi's innovation.

Photos: African innovations tackling serious health problems

Fusing neurons with silicon technology – Nigerian inventor, Osh Agabi, created a device that fuses live neurons from mice stem cells into a silicon chip. The device can be used to detect explosives and cancer cells.

Read more about Agabi's innovation.

Hide Caption

5 of 12

This touch-screen heart monitoring device invented by Cameroonian entrepreneur, Arthur Zang, records and sends heart activity to a national healthcare center for evaluation. <br /><br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/06/africa/arthur-zang---cardio-pad-cameroon/index.html" target="_blank">Read more</a> about this device.

Photos: African innovations tackling serious health problems

Revolutionizing rural healthcare – This touch-screen heart monitoring device invented by Cameroonian entrepreneur, Arthur Zang, records and sends heart activity to a national healthcare center for evaluation.

Read more about this device.