Christina Josephat, a student pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Food Safety and Quality Assurance at SUA, explained that they were motivated by the significant losses faced by traders due to the spoilage of fruits and vegetables, especially during hot seasons. This often forces them to sell their goods at greatly reduced prices.

“We were really moved by this situation, and we began asking ourselves what we could do to help. That’s when we came up with the idea for this simple but highly effective device, especially for small-scale traders, since it doesn’t require electricity to operate,” Christina said.

Representing the company Fruit Secure Solution, which developed the device, Christina highlighted that the innovation could significantly help traders by extending the shelf life of fruits—preserving them for up to 9 days, compared to the usual 3 days. This would reduce losses and improve the profitability of small-scale traders.

Fruit Secure Solution won first place in an innovation competition organized by the SUA Innovation Hub, recognizing the project’s potential to impact agriculture and nutrition in Tanzania.

During the event, Ms. Lucia Madalla from SUA’s Technology Transfer and Innovation Center emphasized the center's ongoing commitment to nurturing and supporting innovative students, empowering them to provide lasting solutions to real-world challenges.

“We are dedicated to mentoring students so they can continue developing their innovations for both their personal growth and the benefit of the nation” said Ms. Madalla.