Aissatou Ly of Senegal and Mudenge Honest Hope of Rwanda won the 2026 Dr. Charity Kpabep competition with a score of 87/100. Organized by U-3ARC in partnership with the World Refrigeration Day NGO, the competition involved 14 African teams and 28 women technicians.
Participants submitted videos showing how they diagnosed and repaired two common faults in a refrigeration system. The jury, comprising members of the U-3ARC Executive Bureau and Training Committee, assessed diagnostic accuracy, repair methodology, safety and environmental procedures, and the quality of the video documentation.
The winning team documented measurements before and after the intervention, including pressure, temperature, superheat or subcooling, and electrical values. According to the jury, close-up footage of gauges and diagnostic tools allowed the intervention to be evaluated remotely.
“This duo turned a video into a genuine technical report. The jury had no doubt about the validity of their intervention,” the jury report stated.
The jury recommended making refrigerant recovery steps more visible to support a zero-discharge policy. It also proposed live technical question-and-answer sessions, training on filming technical work, and future topics involving refrigerants including R290, R600a and R32.
The award ceremony will take place during U-3ARC’s next General Assembly in Rwanda. The winners will receive a EUR 1,000 prize and full travel support.
