Dr. Adam Muritala, a lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, says he has invented the Afri-Inverter and established the African Pro-Humanity Technology Hub (APHTH) to promote research commercialization and indigenous innovation.
Muritala, an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at OAU, disclosed this in an interview with reporters on Monday in Ibadan.
He explained that the Afri-Inverter, produced by APHTH, is an indigenous technology developed with mostly locally sourced components.
“Unlike most imported inverters that are heavy because they use wet batteries, the Afri-Inverter uses a lithium battery,” he said. “This makes it lighter and more efficient. We are continuously improving it to perform even better than existing models.”
Muritala added that his team was seeking investors to enable mass production at an affordable cost for Nigerians.
According to him, the invention demonstrates that African innovators can produce practical solutions to Africa’s technological and energy challenges.
“The project aims to revolutionize research and development in Nigeria, especially within our universities,” he said. “We must develop homegrown technologies to strengthen our economy instead of depending on imports from China and other countries.”
He said that the African Pro-Humanity Technology Hub (APHTH) was created to serve as a platform for promoting African-invented technologies and advancing AI-driven education.
Muritala noted that the hub’s mission is to bridge the gap between research, innovation, and real-world application while empowering African talents.
He said the initiative also seeks to address the challenge of engineering graduates who are unable to contribute meaningfully to national development.
The don linked the issue to structural problems within Nigeria’s university system, which he discussed in his book titled “Towers of Hope, Halls of Despair: A Journey Through Nigeria’s University System.”
“The book offers a historical and analytical review of Nigeria’s universities, exploring colonial legacies, funding evolution, and gender inclusion in engineering education,” he said.
“Our universities are the engine rooms of national progress. If we reform our universities, we reform our nation,” Muritala added.
