When Derick Nwasor was admitted to a Nigerian hospital several years ago, he expected doctors and nurses to fight for his life. Instead, they were also battling two problems beyond their control: unreliable electricity and inconsistent oxygen supply.
Power cuts repeatedly interrupted care, while access to oxygen became uncertain. Nwasor survived, but the experience left him with a question that would later shape his life’s work: why should patients risk dying because hospitals lack two of the most basic resources needed to keep them alive?
That question has since become ‘Just Add Water’, a Nigerian innovation that produces both continuous electricity and medical-grade oxygen from ordinary water, offering a potential solution to two of the biggest infrastructure challenges facing the country’s healthcare system.
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The invention is attracting international attention after being shortlisted for the 2026 Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize, where it will compete for a £50,000 award in Johannesburg this October.
For Nwasor, however, the innovation is deeply personal.
“I built it because I was a patient,” he said, reflecting on the hospital experience that nearly claimed his life.
His invention works by using solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. The hydrogen powers a fuel cell that generates between 12 and 15 kilowatts of uninterrupted electricity, while the oxygen is captured as medical-grade oxygen for patients. Clean water is also produced during the process.
Unlike conventional hospital power systems, the technology requires no diesel generators, fuel deliveries or oxygen tankers travelling hundreds of kilometres from industrial production plants.
The innovation directly addresses a longstanding challenge in Nigeria’s health sector.
With more than 40,000 hospitals across the country, many health facilities experience between eight and ten hours of electricity outages daily. Most rely heavily on diesel generators, which are expensive to run amid rising fuel costs.
Oxygen presents another critical challenge. Many hospitals depend on supplies transported over long distances, meaning delayed deliveries or fuel shortages can quickly become life-threatening for patients in intensive care units, operating theatres and emergency wards.
Healthcare experts say these infrastructure gaps continue to contribute to poor health outcomes, especially in rural and underserved communities where reliable electricity remains scarce.
Nwasor believes hospitals should not have to choose between paying for diesel or saving lives.
His solution combines both needs in a single system, allowing hospitals to generate electricity and oxygen on-site using only water and solar energy.
The technology has already moved beyond the pilot stage.
Three hospitals in Lagos are currently using the system, where it has generated more than 100 megawatt-hours of clean electricity and produced over 17,800 litres of medical-grade oxygen. According to the company, the installations have supported healthcare delivery for more than 11,100 patients.
Beyond improving healthcare, the technology is also helping hospitals reduce their environmental footprint. The company estimates the deployments have prevented approximately 77,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions by replacing diesel-powered electricity generation.
Innovations such as Just Add Water highlight how clean energy can strengthen healthcare systems while lowering operating costs. For many hospitals, diesel remains one of the largest recurring expenses, making renewable alternatives increasingly attractive.
Nwasor’s ambitions extend beyond the three hospitals already using the technology.
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His target is to deploy the system in 1,000 hospitals across Nigeria by 2030, potentially reducing dependence on diesel generators while improving access to reliable electricity and life-saving oxygen for millions of patients.
If achieved, the impact could stretch beyond healthcare. Reliable power would improve laboratory services, vaccine storage, surgical procedures and neonatal care, while on-site oxygen production would reduce dependence on fragile supply chains that have repeatedly failed during emergencies.
What began as one patient’s fight for survival has evolved into an innovation that could help reshape healthcare delivery across Nigeria.
For Nwasor, the machine is more than an engineering breakthrough. It is an attempt to ensure that no patient has to endure what he did, that is, fighting for life while waiting for the lights to come back on.
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