“I specialize in designing, producing digital electronics devices, solar oven innovator,” – Kaledawit Esmelealem
Kaledawit Esmelealem is an innovator and founder of Kale Electronics Company. He is electronics devices design engineer at Kale Electronics and an instructor at Bahir Dar University. He received his first and second degree from Bahir Dar University in Computer Science. He ranked third at the National Aviation Innovation Competition organized during the first National Aviation Expo-2023 here in Addis Ababa.
Kaledawit was born and raised in Bahir Dar city, the capital of Amhara Regional State. He attended both primary and secondary educations in Bahir Dar. Since his childhood, especially after he started formal education, science and technology ignited Kaledawit’s passion. He was focusing on experiments and struggling to change the theoretical ideas he imbibed in class into practical ones. After he joined high school, his love to science courses put down roots in his heart. He loved physics, chemistry and mathematics courses and he joined his school’s Science and Technology Club.
Even before school, he tried his hands on maintaining and making things. While in high school, he tried to translate the theoretical ideas he accumulated in school into practice both at school in the science and technology club and at his home. At that time, he produced simple electronic gadgets by his own efforts. Later, to further develop his skill and knowledge and to realize his hobby of becoming a professional innovator, completing the preparatory education; interested in electronics devices, he joined university determined to pursue computer Science.
This way he has managed to develop programing and designing knowledge in electronics devices. Currently, Kaledawi is an instructor of Computer Science at Bahir Dar University and he has established his own small electronics devices designing and producing company to realize his innovational ideas.
Approached by The Ethiopian Herald, Kaledawit noted that invention and innovation were his childhood dreams, which he actualized uploading knowledge in the field. He was struggling in creating something new, maintaining and fixing simple electronic devices during his childhood. Making and fixing electronic gadgets offered him inexplicable gratitude in his childhood. This hobby sprouted into a profession after he joined college especially following his high school education.
That way, he honed skills in the electronics devices programing and production. Then, combining his experience from his childhood and the education he received from his formal education, he continued struggling to change his concepts and ideas in to products. And now, Kaledawit is striving to produce his already prototype products into commercialized products for market consumption.
Now, Kaledawit has a lot of innovational ideas and prototype products waiting to be produced for commercial purposes. Solar traffic light system, solar oven and solar products for light purpose are among his innovational ideas waiting for mass production. Assembled and programed locally, his solar products are on the market though with limited number due to financial constraints, while the solar oven, a product to change the traditional way of making injera into modern way using solar energy is on the table.
“Since my childhood, combining both theoretical knowledge and try-and-error efforts, I have specialized in electronics devices technology,” Kaledawit said. As he was interested in electronics design using software and computer-aided design, he has continued to manufacture electronics products at home by establishing Kale Electronics. He continued struggling changing concepts into products.
As to him, seven years ago, he produced a traffic light that functions using solar energy, though due to lack of finance he failed to duplicate it for commercial purpose. The product was a digital traffic light that fully operates using solar energy. “I designed, assembled and programed the digital solar traffic device locally,” Kaledawit said adding that to commercialize the product, financial constraint tied me down.
“As it was difficult and challenging to commercialize the solar traffic light device, I dropped producing it and turned my face to other products,” he reiterated. As he proved his mettle to produce standard electronics boards, different project owners are asking him to design and produce electronics devices. Thus he has turned his face to designing and producing electronics boards.
“After I dropped the idea of producing solar traffic devices, directly, I zeroed in on tapping solar system” Kaledawit stated. He is currently working on designing, assembling and programing solar energy products. Kaledawit stated that his innovations in the solar energy area secured him a lot of awards and recognitions. Incentivized, he is engaged in the solar energy business currently. Solar products assembled and designed by him are found in the market, still with rarity, as he is struggling with financial shortages.
Kaledawit stated that his biggest achievement for which he has secured a patent right and is still struggling to commercialize is a solar oven. The solar oven is a product to bake the Ethiopian flat bread injera, which is a staple food, through modern and easy ways, as to him. As it is capital intensive, he is looking forward to support or partnership to commercialize his innovation. According to him, his product is power saver and easy to use, that aims to totally transform the traditional and cumbersome Injera making process.
“My goal is realizing and commercializing my solar oven product so as to modernize and transform Injera making process in Ethiopia.” The solar oven product is totally unique and new invention that can really modernize and ease the injera making system especially for the rural residents. For the time being, he is assembling and selling solar products assembled and programmed by his company’s workshop.
During the recent national innovation aviation expo, he had staged his radar invention. He ranked third from the competitors gathered from across the nation. Kaledawit has specialized in designing digital electronics boards and for that purpose, he has developed a radio signal receiver systems. As to him, the device systems detect a radio frequency at the space, understand it and computerize it to use it for intended purpose.
“The device is my own invention from the concept to the design level. I developed an antenna and installed a radar technique. Using radio frequency, the radar identifies the distance and type of an object in the space and land,” Kaledawit stated. The radar technology has the ability to know the distance and type of airplane flying. He said that the radar technology produced at home has a lot of benefits though his product is in the pipeline.
Next Plan
The next plan of Kaledawit is to open a factory to realize and commercialize his innovational products, though the innovation ecosystem for startup businesses remains challenging. “My plan is to produce standardized products and to establish an industry to produce my innovational products,” Keledawit said optimistically. Quality and quantity are atop his mind. “Currently, I am struggling to realize my ambition.” His dream is to own a big electronics factory and is working day and night to realize it. Still, the innovation ecosystem is challenging for him as he experienced serious challenges over the past ten years.
Challenges for startup innovators
As to Kaledawit, changing an idea or concept in to product taxes passing through tiresome steps. There is a need to pass five to seven steps and passing the steps by itself is challenging. What makes it more difficult is the lack of suitable ecosystem for beginners. At least, there must be favorable infrastructure for investment.
Lack of adequate and sustainable finance, lack of suitable ecosystem, inadequate support and limited institutions to verify prototype products are among the critical challenges facing the electronics devices sector. Hence, he calls both private and governmental institutions to give due attention to the sector and support inventors and innovation.
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 5 JANUARY 2024
