Cameroonian crowned winner of entrepreneur award

A young Cameroonian business savvy has been crowned one of five winners of a prestige entrepreneur award for his revolutionary creation, the Cardiopad.

Arthur Zang, 26, received 50,000 Swiss francs to "realize his vision," which is to finalize his discovery of the Cardiopad, a computer tool for caregivers working in rural areas to provide the results of cardiovascular examinations in cardiology specialists via a mobile network.

He beat 1800 candidates for the top spot of the Rolex Awards for the Spirit of Enterprise 2014 and Zang was the youngest of the five winners for his entry which experts have been quick to dub “Africa’s first medical tablet.”

Rebecca Irvin, director of philanthropy at Rolex, handed out the awards yesterday at the Royal Society, a prestigious London institution for the promotion of Science.

She said: "This year was marked by a record number of projects from young candidates. We are proud to present the new winners and accompany them in their work, which are a great source of inspiration.

"Each of them demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit unusual and a sense of responsibility.

The jury this time was impressed by the very pragmatic way each winner heard a solution to a practical problem. These five young men are undoubtedly examples to follow, and Rolex is delighted to introduce to their projects to the world.”

The Rolex Awards for Entrepreneurship was created in 1976 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Oyster chronometer, the first waterproof watch in the world and a symbol of innovation.

The purpose of these awards is to encourage those who, with their talent and dynamism, seek to change the world in an innovative way in five broad areas: science and health, applied technology, exploration and discovery, the environment and conservation cultural heritage.

Launched in 2010, the Rolex Young Laureates Award, them, rewards young visionaries at a key moment in their career.

In addition to the money that is allocated, each young winner enjoys an international advertising campaign for the project, which includes past winners and jury members of the Rolex Awards and receives a Rolex watch.