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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Egyptian inventor trials robot that can test for COVID-19
With Egypt facing a second coronavirus wave, an inventor is trialing a remote-control robot which can test for COVID-19, take the temperature of patients, and warn them if they don’t…
Singer, actor, athlete and lawyer: Why you must know about civil rights pioneer Paul Robeson
Off the back of his successful cinematic storytelling of the life of Solomon Northup in 12 Years A Slave, British director Steve McQueen promised in 2014 to bring the life of…
The Nigerian behind global communications platform that will help brands grow
“I am a failed microbiologist. Failed musician. I’m a failed author.” That is how Ayeni Adekunle, who is now a tech genius, describes himself. The tech founder has interests in public…
Tech-Savvy Women Making A Difference In Kenya
Young women breaking into the male-dominated ICT world It was a bright morning in March 2010, when a group of tech-savvy youths converged at a small hall in Nairobi to…
Sona Jobarteh is building Gambia’s first cultural academy for children
Since 2011 that respected kora player, vocalist and instrumentalist Sona Jobarteh dropped the album Fasiya, the world-renowned musician has not released any other album. Instead, she has been placing all her…
At age 17, he built Nigeria’s first locally-made drone and on a mission to build an aircraft
David Opateyibo was 17 years old when he built Nigeria’s first locally-made drone in Lagos. Opateyibo led a team of Lagos State Polytechnic students to produce the country’s first prototype…