In 2026, we are still fighting for women’s rights, and the African tech sector reflects this reality. In boardrooms, startups and public institutions, women have always received the short end of the stick, especially in Africa.
Africa’s tech ecosystem has long been male-dominated, but African women are now stepping into leadership and taking their place at the table.
“Bias exists. Let’s not romanticize it. But what’s more dangerous now is the illusion of progress. We have panels, hashtags, and startup accelerators about women, but not many that are led by women, funded by women, or scaled through women,” says executive director of BigCheq Consulting and Zuri Circle CEO Linda Obi.
However, we are beginning to see a new generation of Black women who are redefining Africa’s tech future. From payment solutions to accessing healthcare and learning to code, these women are building products that solve local problems.
We have compiled a list of five Black women who are leading Africa’s tech revolution. These women are achieving visibility milestones and building lasting systems and infrastructure that will define the continent’s next phase of growth.
Betelhem Dessie, founder and CEO, iCog-Anyone Can Code
Country: Ethiopia
Sector: AI, Robotics, and STEM Education
Photo source: Instagram / betelhem_dessie_
This Ethiopian web and mobile developer is recognized as one of the country’s youngest tech pioneers. Born in 1999, she started coding at age 10 and at 12, was employed as a developer for the Ethiopian government’s Information Network Security Agent (INSA).
She founded iCog-Anyone Can Code (ACC), an initiative that trains children aged 6 to 13 in topics ranging from programming to AI and robotics. She has spearheaded programmes like Girls Can Code and Solve IT. Girls Can Code, a U.S. Embassy-backed program promoting women in tech, has trained several young girls. At Solve IT, over 80 innovators use technology to address societal challenges.
Her other impactful initiatives include Digitruck, a fully solar-powered mobile training center equipped with computers and robotics that delivers digital education to children in remote areas; developing an application to map Ethiopia’s irrigation projects for government use; and research projects that leverage AI to solve national challenges, such as optimizing fertilizer suggestions for farmers based on satellite data.
Betelhem is a vocal advocate for women in technology. She is committed to breaking barriers, making technology accessible, inclusive, and locally relevant, while driving innovation that directly responds to the needs of Ethiopia and Africa. She has earned international recognition for her impact, including being named one of Quartz Africa’s Young Innovators to Watch in 2019 and receiving praise from CNN as a rising leader in Ethiopia’s tech space.
Odunayo Eweniyi, co-founder of PiggyVest
Country: Nigeria
Sector: FinTech
Photo source: Instagram / odun_eweniyi
While some Nigerians were still using offline, wooden boxes known as “kolo” to save money and sharing photos of them breaking their kolos, Odunayo Eweniyi saw an opportunity to digitize her countrymen’s financial habits and take their approach to saving to the next level. She and her co-founders built a fintech company around it. They founded PiggyVest in Nigeria in 2016, and since then, it has grown into one of Nigeria’s most widely used personal finance, digital savings, and micro-investment platforms, with millions of users.
Eweniyi has been publicly vocal about the structural barriers women face in fundraising. So, in 2021, she took action by starting First Check Africa, a pre-seed fund that invests in high-growth tech startups with at least one female co-founder. So far, they have invested in about 15 startups and counting.
“First Check was created to level the playing field for women in terms of investment, and we have a very feminist ethic. I mean, I’ll invest in men, but I want women present,” she says.
By providing easy-to-use tools for saving and investing, Eweniyi helped revolutionize financial management for Nigerians.
In honor of her work, she was named one of the 100 most inspiring women in Nigeria in 2019 by Leading Ladies Africa, one of Forbes Africa‘s 30 Under 30 Technology in 2019, and one of Quartz Africa’s 30 Innovators in 2019.
She is committed to supporting the inclusion of women in technology by working with hubs and female-focused networks, including For Creative Girls, GreenHouse Labs, She Leads Africa, and Itanna.
Priscilla Wakarera, Rhea CEO and co-founder
Country: Kenya
Sector: Agritech
Photo source: Twitter / @kenzie_wakarera
She is tackling one of African agriculture’s most overlooked challenges: declining soil fertility and the slow, costly process of soil testing. She founded Rhea, a dynamic agritech start-up revolutionizing soil health management with innovative IoT sensors, empowering smallholder farmers to practice precision agriculture for sustainable, profitable crop cultivation.
The Rhea AgriPad, a portable soil-testing device, provides farmers with real-time, on-farm insights to optimize fertilizer use and improve yields. Anyone can operate them in rural villages.
Recognizing that farmers need continuous, accessible guidance, she built an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot. This virtual agronomist chatbot supports English, Swahili, 15 local languages, and even French and Spanish. Farmers can upload photos of their crops, and, using computer vision and machine learning, the bot diagnoses nutrient deficiencies, pests, and diseases and provides real-time advice.
In January 2026, Rhea trained 99 agronomists across three Kenyan counties in soil health management and testing, 65% of whom were women. In 2023, she won the Women-Led Agribusiness category at the Pan-African Pitch AgriHack competition, beating candidates from 39 countries.
Rapelang Rabana, founder of Rekindle Learning
Country: South Africa
Sector: Edutech
Photo source: Instagram / rapelang
This internationally renowned technology entrepreneur has been making waves across Africa and around the world. She established her reputation in the tech sector as the co-founder of Yeigo Communications, a company that gained international recognition for its pioneering innovations in mobile Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and IP communications.
Rapelang, who has built companies that tackle connectivity and learning, founded FFWD Innovation and Rekindle Learning, an innovative learning and development company that is using the power of mobile and computer learning applications to improve education in Africa by enabling people to access knowledge in the palm of their hands.
Her focus on talent and education highlights the pipeline problem: Africa needs more engineers and product leaders, and Rapelang invests in that future.
Rapelang is a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum, she was chosen by Forbes as one of Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs, and is listed on the ‘O Power List’ by The Oprah Magazine.
Her leadership in techpreneurship serves as a powerful example for other Black women, likely inspiring future generations to develop innovative, locally relevant solutions for Africa’s problems.
Daisy Isiaho, co-founder of Zuri Health
Country: Kenya
Sector: Healthtech
Photo source: LinkedIn / Daisy Isiaho
Daisy, who has built a reputation as one of Kenya’s outstanding business leaders, co-founded Zuri Health in 2020. The goal was to fix Africa’s uneven access to healthcare using technology.
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Zuri Health is a virtual hospital and digital healthcare platform that provides affordable, accessible medical services. It connects patients to doctors, pharmacies, and laboratories through SMS, WhatsApp, and the Zuri Health app. It allows patients to buy medicines, consult with a doctor, and book laboratory and diagnostic tests virtually, ensuring that even those without smartphones or a stable internet connection can access care. It also integrates AI and mobile technology to anticipate and prevent illness.
As Chief Product Officer, Daisy Isiaho leads the platform’s design and development, applying her strategic mindset and commercial tech experience.
She is committed to empowering women in business and entrepreneurship and is a member of World Women Leading Change (WWLC), a movement that equips businesswomen to influence change and impact their families, work fields, communities, environments, and industries. Isiaho is a force to be reckoned with within tech and the business world.
