Saving animals, saving livelihoods
Maganga Mabula's (now Founder and CEO) interest in animal health began early while growing up in a family of farmers in the Sukuma pastoralist community in Tanzania. Even as a child, he witnessed livestock-owning families, including his own, lose animals to diseases that were detected far too late. Motivated to address this problem, he went on to study veterinary medicine at the Sokoine University of Agriculture.
During his studies, Maganga realised that many livestock deaths could be prevented through continuous health monitoring rather than the manual observation that millions of farmers still rely on today. Late disease detection and inaccurate monitoring of reproductive events often result in delayed treatment, lower productivity, and reduced income for livestock keepers.At the same time, he became increasingly aware that many electronic technologies adopted in the livestock sector were designed with little consideration for their environmental impact. Most devices were difficult to repair or recycle and were ultimately discarded as electronic waste.
This inspired Maganga and his team to develop a solution that not only improves livestock health but also embraces eco-design principles through modular construction, repairability, recyclability, and low-energy operation. During his time at university, he met like-minded students who shared his vision of transforming livestock farming through digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and environmentally conscious sensor design.
"Our goal is to demonstrate that digital innovation and environmental sustainability can go hand in hand"
, explains Maganga. Today, Afya Ya Mnyama Digital brings together a multidisciplinary team of five founders and nine employees with expertise in veterinary medicine, electronics engineering, software engineering, artificial intelligence, agricultural investment, finance, marketing, and business operations.
Like many deep-tech start-ups, the team has faced several challenges. One of the biggest has been developing an affordable technology that meets the needs of smallholder farmers while maintaining high technical quality. Additional hurdles included hardware development, manufacturing costs, field validation across different farming environments, and balancing advanced functionality with sustainable product design. According to the team, these challenges strengthened their commitment to continuous innovation and collaboration. Strategic partnerships with institutions including Carnegie Mellon University Africa and the Sokoine University of Agriculture have provided technical support, mentorship, and research expertise throughout the development process.
The company's name, Afya Ya Mnyama Digital, means "Digital Animal Health" in Swahili. It reflects the company's mission to improve animal health, strengthen farmer livelihoods, and promote sustainable livestock production through digital technologies and eco-designed smart sensors. At the same time, the name captures the intersection of veterinary science, digital innovation, and environmental responsibility that lies at the heart of the company's vision.
Revolutionizing Animal Health Through Digital Innovation
At the heart of Afya Ya Mnyama Digital's innovation are eco-designed smart ear tag sensors paired with the Mnyama Check Platform: an AI-powered livestock health monitoring system available as both a mobile and web application. The platform enables farmers to monitor their animals in real time, helping them identify health problems before they become critical.
The smart sensors continuously collect data on body temperature, activity, movement, and reproductive behaviour. This information is analysed by artificial intelligence to detect early signs of disease, heat, and other health conditions. Farmers receive instant alerts via the application and can connect directly with veterinary professionals through the platform for further advice and support.
Unlike many conventional livestock monitoring devices, which follow a linear "use-and-dispose" model, Afya's smart sensors are designed according to eco-design principles. Their modular construction allows damaged components to be repaired or replaced instead of discarding the entire device. The company also prioritises recyclable materials, low-energy electronics, a longer product lifespan, and, where possible, the reduction of hazardous substances. Together, these design choices help reduce electronic waste and the demand for new raw materials. The average lifespan of the devices are 5 to 7 years. Damaged tags are returned to the company through field officers and veterinary partners. Depending on the condition, Afya either repairs, refurbishes, and redeploys the devices or recovers reusable electronic components. Education of new clients is also an integral part of Afya´s innovation: During onboarding and routine field visits, the start-up trains farmers and veterinarians on proper handling, maintenance, and the importance of returning damaged or end-of-life ear tags instead of disposing of them. This awareness contributes to environmental protection while supporting their refurbishment and recycling programme.
"Our innovation delivers environmental, economic, and social benefits while remaining affordable and practical for livestock farmers"
, states Maganga. So far, Afya´s innovation has helped more than 1500 farmers across Tanzania to monitor health conditions and detect diseases earlier as well as to improve breeding efficiency and milk production in more than 12000 animals.
By combining precision livestock monitoring with circular product design, artificial intelligence, and integrated veterinary services, Afya Ya Mnyama Digital aims to make livestock management not only smarter, but also more sustainable throughout the product's lifecycle.
Next up at Afya Ya Mnyama Digital
Afya Ya Mnyama Digital is currently focused on scaling the adoption of its eco-designed livestock health monitoring system while continuously improving its performance, affordability, and sustainability. The company is refining its AI algorithms to enable earlier disease detection, optimizing the modular design of its smart sensors to extend product lifespan and simplify repairs, and expanding field deployment across Tanzania and neighboring countries. At the same time, the team is strengthening partnerships with veterinary professionals, research institutions, and livestock farmers' organizations to ensure the technology delivers measurable value to farmers while supporting more sustainable livestock production.
Over the coming years, the start-up aims to expand across East Africa and increase the number of farmers and animals connected to its smart sensors and digital platform. Ultimately, Afya Mnyama Digital envisions becoming Africa's leading provider of sustainable digital livestock health solutions.
With their innovative approach, Afya Ya Mnyama Digital, who joined the ISC3 Global Start-up Service as one of the Innovation Challenge finalists in June 2026, actively contributes to SDG1 (No Poverty), SDG2 (Zero Hunger), SDG12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG13 (Climate Action).
