Measuring the Efficacy of a Locally Manufactured Face Shield

The need for growth in Africa's manufacturing ecosystem was highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic as personal protective equipment (PPE) had to largely be imported. This paper presents the design, fabrication and testing of a face shield produced using locally available materials and methods in Ghana. User research with medical professionals and other PPE users revealed issues with existing commercial face shields such as high cost, poor durability, and discomfort. An improved face shield design was developed, leveraging fabrication methods employed by local tailors. An elastic/foam band made from African fabric was integrated with a plastic sheet, the former being reusable and the latter being disposable. A series of flow visualization experiments were used to determine the efficacy of this shield against that of the commercial counterpart. Particle count and velocity flow field results revealed superior performance of the local design in terms of particle blocking. This study underscores the potential for decentralized manufacturing in Africa, providing a model for creating effective, affordable and accessible PPE using indigenous resources and simple production techniques.