LocationsMakerere University Graduate invents an off-grid irrigation water pump
Unipods Birthing Innovations in Africa: Matia’s Story
July 16, 2024
Mattias at Makerere UniPod utilizing state-of-the-art equipment
Matia Ategeka is a 27-years-old graduate of Makerere University with a Bachelor of Science in Water and Irrigation Engineering. His graduation means so much to him because not only did he obtain a bachelor’s degree but he also developed the skills necessary to invent a unique off-grid water pump irrigation system.
Humble Beginnings
Matia is an orphan who struggled with his studies due to financial constraints. Determination and support from his elder siblings pushed him through formal education. Growing up in Fort Portal, a 5-hour drive from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, he and his siblings used to travel miles to fetch water from River Mpanga to irrigate their family gardens. The hours spent on irrigation every morning often affected his school time, making him late to class. He would missed important lessons and usually had to resort to his friend’s notes to catch up.
“Our community in Fort Portal has a water source but we couldn’t afford the expensive irrigation pumps on the market. The problem was that the manual irrigation process with no technology was affecting productive hours and the vegetable yields,” noted Matia.
Keeping the Dream Alive
In his first year at the university, Matia kept his dream alive and invented what he called a self-irrigation pump which uses pressure elevation within an enclosed vacuum. But this couldn’t pump water very far and therefore didn’t solve the irrigation challenge he wanted to resolve for his community. Determined not to give up, in his second year, Matia invented a hand-wheel pump that extracts underground water. Still, this couldn’t pump water very far and couldn’t go beyond 4 meters high. He continued to research to find a better solution.
“After these two failed attempts, I discovered from my research that what I needed is access to better technology and conducive tech-powered environment to perfect my invention."
Matia remained hopeful and in his third year, he discovered that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) selected Makerere University to collaborate on establishing a fully equipped multi-disciplinary University Innovation Pod (UniPod) under the timbuktoo Africa initiative.
“I was excited about the Unipod and was looking forward to it.”
It was a dream come true for Matia. He leveraged the Unipod’s free resources like internet access and metal fabrication tools to work on his invention. He also benefited from the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund and was supported by his college lecturers and peers to refine his off-grid spiral water wheel pump.
Initially, even when the Unipod was established and he started utilizing its resources, Matia faced rejection of the idea of his invention. He presented it as a final-year proposal but this was rejected.
Mattias presenting his innovation to key partners at the Makerere UniPod.
“My supervisor told me that they had never seen or heard of such an innovation anywhere and I was advised to drop it. But I didn’t.”
At last, Matia invented the off-grid irrigation water pump, which provides irrigation systems to under-served communities in Uganda without using the national electricity power grid. The spiral water wheel pump uses kinetic energy from flowing water bodies like rivers and canals. It pumps 15 liters of water per minute, up to 30 meters high and beyond 2 kilometers horizontally.
Scaling the Innovation
Having tested Matia’s off-grid spiral water wheel pump, the UniPod’s Technology Transfer Office worked with the Makerere University’s Intellectual Property (IP) Management Committee to register his invention for patenting. Matia has since registered his company as Mat Water Solutions with the Uganda Registrations Services Bureau (URSB). He employs 5 staff and has so far installed the spiral pumps in communities in Uganda and Rwanda with plans underway to expand further to Mozambique and South Africa.
“I am looking for partnerships to further improve and create more impact in rural communities.”
Matia’s innovation has been selected by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) to be showcased in the 9th Science Technology and Innovation Forum at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
This is how transformative the timbuktoo Unipods are, powering talents and helping young people like Matia to unleash their innovative prowess. Joining UNDP on timbuktoo will birth many more solutions to overcome development challenges.
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