Norah Magero - Founder & CEO, Drop Access | Engineering Innovator

About Norah Magero

Norah Magero is a distinguished Sustainability & Environment leader based in Nairobi, Kenya.Norah Magero is a Kenyan mechanical engineer and founder & CEO of Drop Access, a social enterprise building solar-powered cold-chain solutions for off-grid healthcare. She developed the VacciBox a portable, solar-powered, IoT-enabled refrigeration unit for vaccines and other temperature-sensitive medical supplies and has led field deployments to increase vaccination access in remote communities. Her work combines clean energy engineering, health-system strengthening, and decentralised infrastructure solutions to replace diesel cold systems and reduce vaccine spoilage.

Sustainability & Environment Expert in Nairobi

As a leading Sustainability & Environment professional in Nairobi, Kenya,Norah Magero has made significant contributions to the field.

Achievements and Awards

• Winner Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation (Royal Academy of Engineering) - 2022: Awarded £25,000 as the 2022 Africa Prize winner for VacciBox the first Kenyan and second woman to win the prize.
• TED Fellow - 2024: Selected to the TED Fellows cohort (access to TED community, mentorship and programming).
• Top 40 Under 40 Women (Business Daily Africa) - 2024: Named among Kenya’s Top 40 Under 40 Women for leadership in clean energy and health-tech.
• IFC She Wins Africa (Fellow / alumna) - : Participated in IFC’s She Wins Africa programme (women-led enterprise support).
• Microgrid Academy / RES4Africa alumna & other regional innovation awards - : Recipient of multiple sector awards (Microgrid Academy Award, Innovation Awards, Social Impact recognitions).

Professional Experience

• Founder & CEO at Drop Access (2021–Present): Designs, manufactures and distributes Vaccibox solar-powered, portable, IoT-enabled refrigeration and cold-chain solutions for remote clinics and last-mile vaccine delivery.
• Founder / Product Lead (Drop Access) at VacciBox (product) (): Portable 20–50L solar refrigerator designed to be mounted on motorbikes/bicycles/boats and to maintain medical-grade temperatures, includes remote monitoring features for cold-chain integrity.

Media Appearances

• Africa Prize winner profile VacciBox - Royal Academy of Engineering / Africa Prize, 2022
• Norah Magero TED Fellows profile - TED Fellows, 2024
• How a Kenyan startup is saving lives with a solar-powered vaccination box - Sun-Connect / features, 2024

Connect with Norah Magero