The computer science graduate from Wartburg College, Iowa, in the United States designed the stove, Genesys Cooker, at the age of 26, and in 2011.
Chinnah’s motivation comes from personal tragedy, reports Nigerian Media Vanguard. He lost his grandmother to indoor smoke pollution at a very young age.
The stove uses an air injection system to regulate smoke while converting fuel into clean energy. The heat from the stove can also power USB devices after about seven minutes of heating. It also has a multipurpose design that allows you to have more than one cooktop option.
His efforts have garnered recognition, including a $10,000 Innovation Prize at Yale University in 2016 and funding from various organizations like The Resolution Project and Duke Energy, and the Iowa Renewable Energy Association.
He won an innovation video competition sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, according to Nigerian media outlet Vanguard.
Terraoak, an organization he co-founded to develop the Genesys cooker in 2009 also received seed funding from Red Cedar, supporting its growth.
Chinnah’s innovation comes alongside another Nigerian invention, a solar-powered kiosk by Usman Dalhatu.