Zahra Bamoharram

Ethiopian engineer who pioneered solar-powered irrigation systems to combat food insecurity in East Africa

Zahra Bamoharram is an Ethiopian mechanical engineer and founder of Green Life Innovation, a company developing affordable solar-powered irrigation solutions. Growing up in rural Ethiopia, she witnessed how erratic rainfall patterns threatened food security and livelihoods. After earning her engineering degree from Addis Ababa University, Zahra spent 5 years researching sustainable agriculture technologies before launching her social enterprise in 2021.

Her flagship product, the Solar Smart Pump, uses IoT technology to optimize water usage while reducing energy consumption by 40%. The system costs 60% less than comparable solutions, making it accessible to smallholder farmers. By 2023, over 12,000 units had been deployed across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, increasing crop yields by an average of 300% in pilot regions.

Zahra's innovations have received international acclaim, including the 2022 African Innovation Foundation Prize and a $500,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her work directly addresses UN Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 7 (Affordable Energy). She's currently expanding into solar-powered cold storage units to reduce post-harvest losses, a problem affecting 30% of Africa's agricultural output.

Beyond technology development, Zahra trains women as solar technicians through her company's 'Sunrise Academy', creating 200+ jobs for rural Ethiopian women since 2020. Her TEDx Talk Solar Power: The Engine of Africa's Agricultural Revolution highlights how decentralized energy solutions can transform food systems. Zahra's vision of combining renewable energy with traditional farming knowledge represents a blueprint for climate-resilient agriculture in Africa.