TCS Sustainathon™ South Africa 2024: Winners Propose Energy-Efficient Vaccine Storage Solution for Rural Africa

The 3rd edition of TCS Sustainathon™ South Africa focused on the theme of 'Affordable and Clean Energy' and witnessed participation from 40 universities and colleges, each presenting innovative solutions to real-world sustainability issues
The winning team received ZAR 35,000 and an opportunity to intern with TCS South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, FEBRUARY 10, 2025: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, announced the winners of the third annual South African edition of TCS Sustainathon^TM, a problem-solving competition that encourages students to innovate ideas for leveraging technology to solve real-world sustainability problems. Team Nexura, from University of Cape Town, WITS and Nelson Mandela University, who proposed Vitals-Vault, a portable and energy-efficient cooling solution designed to store vaccines in rural parts of Africa and reduce both medical and energy wastage, won the competition and a grand prize of ZAR 35,000.

The theme for this year’s event, ‘Affordable and Clean Energy,’ aligns with the energy poverty affecting the African continent. With around 43% of Africa’s population lacking access to electricity, the need for innovative solutions is more critical than ever. This edition of TCS Sustainathon^TM saw a strong response, attracting over 180 registrations from more than 40 universities and colleges. Ten finalists from 18 universities showcased their groundbreaking solutions at the Grand Finale.

Langa Dube, Director and Country Head for TCS South Africa & Rest of Africa, said, “Congratulations to team Nexura on their winning idea. The team exemplified the kind of passion and tech creativity that is needed from our young people if we are to successfully resolve our country’s pressing energy challenges. We were amazed by the quality of the presentations at the grand finale and are excited about how young people are helping to find solutions to our country’s energy challenges. They really offer hope for creating a prosperous, more sustainable future, through technology.”

The second prize was awarded to Team Green Energy Engineers for their idea, Waste to Watts that focuses on the development of bio batteries using organic waste and received ZAR 25,000, while Team South Solar Synergy won the third prize and a reward of ZAR 15,000 for their idea, Ubuntu Solar Farm. The winners also stand a chance to intern with TCS South Africa and further develop their ideas into tangible solutions that can positively impact the environment. All remaining finalists received prize money of ZAR 7,000 each, along with certificates and engraved trophies.

TCS Sustainathon^TM South Africa was held in collaboration with program partners Pick n Pay and Geekulcha, and incubation partners Wits University, SkillsLab, and the Centre for Student Development. The event presented participants with challenges designed to encourage innovative energy solutions.

TCS Sustainathon^TM is a global challenge that inspires the youth to leverage digital technologies to solve social, economic and environmental problems for a sustainable future. TCS organizes the annual hackathon with partners across several sectors to provide a platform for young minds to collaborate with private companies, non-profit organizations, and government agencies to co-create solutions to sustainability challenges. Recent themes for the challenge have included “Zero Hunger”, and “Sustainable Water and Sanitation Management”.

About Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 56 years. Its consulting-led, cognitive powered, portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile™ delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

A part of the Tata group, India's largest multinational business group, TCS has over 607,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 55 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $29 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, and is listed on the BSE and the NSE in India. TCS' proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit www.tcs.com

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