Saturday, August 23, 2025, marked DemoDay, a crucial milestone in the first IoT hackathon on air quality in Senegal, organized by kaikai and launched in June 2025.

This event brought together young innovators to address a major environmental and public health issue.

The Context: Air Quality, a Public Health Issue

This hackathon was organized in response to an alarming situation in Senegal. Air pollution regularly reaches critical levels, particularly in large cities such as Dakar and Thiès. Peaks in fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) can sometimes reach up to five times the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

This poor air quality directly affects the health of the population, potentially causing serious illnesses such as cancer and respiratory diseases. Every year, thousands of students experience respiratory problems, which not only affect their health but also their academic performance. A major problem identified is the lack of awareness about air quality, as well as the fact that the population has little information or does not understand the data needed to anticipate these peaks and take adequate preventive measures.

At kaikai, our goal has always been to put technological expertise at the service of impactful projects, seeking to ensure that their actions benefit the community. The hackathon is part of a larger project to measure air quality in Senegal, aiming to involve even more stakeholders to stimulate innovation.

A Historic Event for Innovation in Senegal

DemoDay marked a turning point in the recognition of local innovations in this sector. Mr. André Jacques DIOH, a modeler at the Air Quality Management Center of the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition, emphasized that this was "the first time he had attended an air quality innovation competition in Senegal" in his thirteen-year career.

Out of more than forty projects initially proposed, eight teams were selected as part of this hackathon to present their innovations at DemoDay. These teams received training from experts in the field (air quality, connected objects, awareness). To facilitate prototyping, kaikai provided each team with the necessary technical equipment, including sensors, microcontrollers, 3D printers, etc.

The teams presented a variety of solutions, such as mobile applications, web-based monitoring platforms, pollution mapping tools, connected watches that alert users to pollution, and LED panels connected to sensors that display air quality levels in real time. The jury, composed of André Jacques DIOH, Ahmed Gueye, Mamadou Diallo, Aboubacry Sadikh Niang, and Nils Kaiser, examined the prototypes and provided constructive feedback to the various teams.

The Winning Innovations

At the end of the demonstrations, three teams stood out for the originality of their prototypes and the quality of their presentations, taking the lead in the race for the Innovation Award.

1st Place: Airlight Galsen IoT (Dakar)

The Dakar-based team developed a technological and ecological solution to provide real-time air quality alerts in schools, which are often highly exposed areas.

Their project is based on two key ideas:

1.  The installation of LED matrix panels above classrooms, displaying a simple message in real time that can be understood by everyone, accompanied by emojis (a smiling face for good air and a frowning face for bad air). The team presented a working prototype of its LED device.

2.  The introduction of air-purifying plants inside classrooms to tangibly improve the air breathed by children.

The Thiès team designed a mobile app to make air quality visible and understandable to everyone.

Their solution offers:

• An interactive dashboard to track and compare pollution levels.

• A dynamic map to identify sensitive areas.

• A predictive algorithm capable of anticipating pollution peaks, responding to the need for advance predictions.

3rd Place: Airus (Ziguinchor)

The Ziguinchor team has developed a solution aimed at protecting students in schools.

Their innovation is a connected watch worn on the wrists of children, particularly those who are most vulnerable. This watch is designed to alert wearers when pollution peaks are detected by sensors, so that children can immediately take appropriate protective measures (wearing a mask, avoiding playing in dust, etc.). The prototype watch was entirely designed and developed by the team using a 3D printer provided by kaikai.

Conclusion: The Decisive Phase of Deployment

These teams have demonstrated talent and imagination in creating impactful digital solutions. However, the adventure does not end there. The next step, considered crucial to the final outcome, is the field deployment phase for the sensors and solutions.

This crucial phase will demonstrate the concrete impact of IoT and digital technology innovations in protecting Senegalese communities from air pollution. This deployment, which is essential for measuring the potential impact, will include the installation of around 40 sensors in five regions of Senegal (information not available in the sources provided and to be verified independently) as well as awareness-raising activities in the field to be carried out by the teams (information not available in the sources provided and to be verified independently). This deployment will be decisive in assessing the real impact of these innovations. The Air Quality Management Center has expressed its willingness to support the project.