About this Episode
Nigerian engineer and entrepreneur Derick Nwasor has developed a technology designed to tackle two major problems facing hospitals: unreliable electricity and inconsistent supplies of medical oxygen.
His invention, called Just Add Water, uses solar energy and a regenerative hydrogen fuel-cell system. Electricity is used to split ordinary water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can then be used to generate electricity, while the oxygen is captured as medical-grade oxygen for patients.
The idea was born from Nwasor’s own experience. When he was admitted to hospital, he nearly lost his life because power and oxygen supplies failed. That experience convinced him that hospitals shouldn’t have to depend on diesel generators and deliveries of oxygen to keep patients alive.
The system has already been deployed in three hospitals in Lagos, where it is generating electricity and producing medical-grade oxygen on site. The technology can currently generate between 15 kilowatts and 1 megawatt of electricity, depending on the installation, alongside medical oxygen.
Nwasor and his co-founder Joy Egbe have now been shortlisted for the 2026 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, run by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Sixteen innovators from 11 African countries were selected for this year’s cohort.
The ambition is to expand the technology to more hospitals, replacing some diesel use while ensuring that electricity and oxygen remain available when patients need them most.
It’s a particularly powerful example of engineering starting with a very simple question: why should a patient die because a hospital doesn’t have electricity or oxygen?
