Arthur Zang, creator of the Cardiopad, poses with his invention.
The most important in this week’s headlines out of and about Africa, for those who need help catching up. In this week’s news, Cardiopad and Ethiopian Airlines are recognized for their excellence, and ancient treasures are returned to Egypt.
Cardiopad Creator Wins Engineering Prize
Arthur Zang, an engineer from Cameroon, won the African Prize for Engineering Innovation this week.
Zang invented the Cardiopad, which is a tablet-like device that performs heart tests, such as an EKG, and sends the results to cardio specialists through a mobile network.
This is important because Cameroon, a country with over 20 million people, only has about 50 cardio specialists. The Cardiopad allows regular doctors and other healthcare workers to test a patient’s heart and then send the result to one of these specialists for interpretation and consultation. The device is being used in other countries, such as Gabon and India, for similar reasons, and also simply because it is a handy medical tool.
Ethiopian Airlines Named Best African Airline
Ethiopian Airlines was recognized with an award this week, when it was named the African Airline of the Year by African Aviation. It won for a variety of reasons, among them it’s financial performance, route expansion, staff performance, and customer services.
While presenting the award, African Aviation CEO Nick Fadugba remarked that the airline was a source of great pride for Africa. In addition, the technical skills of the airline workers have helped bring African aviation to a high point.
Ethiopian Airlines has operated for more than 70 years, and has won several awards for excellence in the past. It is Africa’s largest airline, and currently provides flights to 92 international locations. They are working on a 15 year strategic plan that will expand their locations and the services provided.
Israel Returns Ancient Artifacts to Egypt
The state of Israel has returned two stolen sarcophagi lids to Egypt. The lids, made of wood and painted with ancient Egyptian religious iconography, were smuggled out of Egypt some time in the recent past, though the exact date is unknown. They were seized by the Israel Antiquities Authority in 2012, where they were carefully stored.
This week, all of the bureaucratic work was done, and the lids were handed over to the care of the Egyptian Ambassador in Israel.
Political tensions between Israel and Egypt have been high since Egyptian’s former President, Hosni Mubarak, was removed from power in 2011. Some view the peaceful return of the artifacts as a step towards diplomacy between the two countries.
