By Uchenna Ezeadigwe
Awka
Co-founder of TYnuEV Technologies and Kika AI, Mr Kenechukwu Ndunwa, has been honoured with the Innovator of the Year 2026 Award at the fifth edition of the Anambra Man of the Year (AMTY) Awards.
The award ceremony, which brought together no fewer than 28 outstanding Anambra men and women, including past award winners, was organised to recognise and celebrate indigenes of the state who have distinguished themselves through their achievements and contributions in various fields of endeavour.
Ndunwa, whose ventures leverage artificial intelligence, clean energy and data-driven innovation to address critical challenges across Africa, is known for developing affordable energy solutions while promoting responsible electronic waste management.
Speaking after receiving the award, the Ogidi-born innovator said the recognition was the result of years of work and innovation, including the recycling of damaged laptop batteries to produce power banks and the development of electric bikes for the logistics sector.
He also disclosed plans to expand into electric mobility financing, saying the initiative would help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles across Africa.
“We are creating innovations from recycling damaged laptop batteries to making power banks, and we are also getting into the electric sector by creating electric bikes for logistics. We are also building a platform to finance e-mobility so that adoption in Africa can be accelerated,” he said.
Ndunwa further disclosed that his team was developing Kika AI, an artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to help households and businesses monitor their cooking gas consumption and prevent unexpected gas shortages.
“With Kika AI, your gas will never run dry. It is an innovation that will disrupt the market,” he said.
He added that although the company had obtained a licence from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, efforts were ongoing to secure additional regulatory approvals and official documentation.
The innovator urged young people to focus on their imagination and possibilities rather than limiting themselves to what they can immediately see.
“Youths should focus on what they can imagine and not only on what they can see. Sight is limited, but imagination is unlimited. Whatever you can imagine, you can become,” he said.
One of Ndunwa’s notable achievements was the provision of gas metering and real-time consumption tracking for the Guinness World Records attempt involving the largest pot of jollof rice cooked by Hilda Baci in Lagos.
The platform provided real-time data on LPG consumption throughout the event, demonstrating its capacity to monitor high-volume gas usage at scale.
Ndunwa also led the development of KMRV, an embedded monitoring, reporting and verification engine designed to track clean LPG usage, measure verified emission reductions and convert them into carbon credits.
According to AMTY, the innovation enables gas vendors to unlock additional revenue from carbon markets while supporting the transition to cleaner cooking energy.
“His work has contributed to increased adoption of clean cooking fuel, reduced reliance on firewood and kerosene, improved access to LPG services and the creation of new economic opportunities,” AMTY said.
