A Togolese man has found a way of using e- waste from garbage dumps and landfills to create a 3-D printer. West African entrepreneur and inventor Kodjo Afate Gnikou didn’t have access to a lot of tools and resources for building new technology but he wouldn’t let that stop him from creating cutting edge devices. According to The Prepaid Economy, Gnikou
found a way to make a piece of valuable
technology that normally costs thousands
of dollars, from material that cost him only
$100.
He is now able to use the printer to make
everyday items such as containers. The
prototype took him several months to
make. He told Euronews he had to scour a
nearby scrap yard to pick up rails and belts
from old scanners, as well as bits form old hard drives and desktop computers. He
said: What Gnikou, 33, hopes to do is perhaps
one day create a printer that can be used
to build homes, even on Mars. While others
saw waste, Gnikou saw potential. Now
others also see potential in him and he and
was even recognized by the NASA International Space Apps challenge last
year. We salute all efforts by Africans who
are creative, innovative and imaginative.