Orphaned at 11, this Kenyan tech genius turned down Harvard and became a millionaire at 19
Mubarak Muyika grew up with his aunt following the demise of his parents when he was only 11 years old. His dad was a civil servant who died when he…
Meet Kafayat Sanni; First female fighter pilot in Nigerian Air Force’s 55-year-history
Kafayat Sanni has etched her name in history, becoming Nigeria’s first female fighter pilot. Emerging as the overall best pilot at the Nigerian Air Force’s 401 training school in 2017,…
On this Day January 22 1949, Dr. J. Robert Gladden became the first Board-Certified African-American surgeon
Gladden was born Oct. 29, 1911 in Charlotte, N.C. He first entered college at Long Island University, and earned a medical degree from Meharry Medical College. Studying his field at…
On this day, 14th of January in 1904, exactly 117 years ago, Philip Comi Gbeho was born
He was a Ghanaian musician, composer and teacher. He is best known for his composition of the Ghana National Anthem. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Arts…
Young Tanzanian turning plastic waste into affordable building products
At the age of 15, Edgar Edmund saw how a downpour swept away mud houses, mainly belonging to the poor in villages in Tanzania. People in his community in the city of…
Did you know Sylvia Robinson produced the world’s first commercial rap single?
The record was titled “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang and this record sold millions of copies. And that is perhaps why some have decided to call her “the god-mother…
How Charles Harrison became a prolific and pioneering African-American designer
Charles Harrison, an African-American designer reshaped the View-Master. He was no doubt one of the best industrial designers of the 20th century. He specialized in creating a range of practical…
Did you know Haiti was the first nation to permanently ban slavery?
Haiti (formerly called Saint-Domingue) formally declared independence from France in 1804 and became the first sovereign nation in the Western Hemisphere to unconditionally abolish slavery in the modern era. Jean-Jacques…
Did you know African Renaissance Monument is the tallest statue in Senegal and is the tallest statue in Africa?
At 161 feet (49 m), the bronze African Renaissance Monument stands on top of one of the twin hills of Collines des Mamelles, outside Dakar. Unveiled in 2010, the project…
George Carruthers, the inventor whose camera took the first images of space
“He will be remembered as an amazing scientist, engineer, professor, and mentor.” Those were the words of the National Society of Black Physicists (NSP) when it announced the death of…
Dwight Neptune, the college dropout whose drone company is making waves
Dwight Neptune was studying electrical engineering when he picked up drone making as a hobby in high school. Little did he realize that his hobby would morph into establishing a…
Diagnosed with dyslexia at 8, meet the first Black woman to get a gold medal from Institute of Physics
Nigerian-British scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock won the 2020 William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize for her “exceptional services to science education and physics communication” this October, according to the Institute of…
Dr. Miles V. Lynk: First Black Physician to Practice in Madison County, Tennessee
Dr. Miles V. Lynk was born the son of slaves in a small rural town in Tennessee. Despite difficult times, Lynk went on to attend the historically Black Meharry medical…
Grid or solar: looking for the best energy solution for the rural poor
South Asia has made tremendous progress in connecting rural areas to the electricity grid but the number of people in Africa without access has scarcely changed since 2010. More than…
Semhal Guesh,Ethiopian architect making leather bags for U.S. and European markets
It was a journey that started as a hobby for Semhal Guesh. While in the university training as an architect, she started making hand bracelets from leather waste which later…
2020 Taught Us: Pressure, Protest, Power
If there is one lesson to take away from 2020, it is that our democracy is fragile. This year has taught us much about this fact—and exposed who we really…
The top five young innovators of 2020 you should know
The year 2020 has particularly been challenging due to the coronavirus pandemic. Black businesses and innovators were particularly the hardest hit as many of them struggled to stay afloat, particularly…
African Tech Journalists: Changing the Narrative One Story at a Time
“Narrative is a way of looking at the world. An overarching concept that influences thought, meaning, and decision-making. A good narrative will use a range of stories to illustrate, animate,…
High school girls making paper out of banana and plantain to help save the environment
About 24 young senior high school girls from Ghana are placing their country on the global map with their innovation that transforms plantain and banana stems into paper bags. The…
Meet Veronica Bekoe – The Inventor of the life saving “Veronica Bucket”
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Ghana, one of the most mentioned requirements recommended by the Ghana Health Service for hand sanitation is the Veronica Bucket. This simple bucket…