African Media Agency (AMA)
Yango Fellowship brings together tech talent from six African countries to build locally rooted solutions
Fellows from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Zambia, Senegal, Ethiopia and Mozambique pitch tech projects addressing transport, health, finance, employment, waste and water access across Africa
ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, 21 September 2026 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/ – Yango Group has concluded the Pan-African Yango Fellowship 2026 programme with a two-day Graduation programme and Pitch Day in Abidjan, bringing together 24 Fellows from six African countries to present the tech projects they developed over the course of the programme.
The cohort included fellows from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Zambia, Senegal, Ethiopia and Mozambique, selected from more than 600 applicants. Over the 12-week programme, fellows worked in six mixed-country teams, moving from problem framing and research through solution design, business modelling, prototyping and final pitching. The resulting projects span cashless payments for informal transport, digital financial identity for informal merchants, medicine supply visibility for community health workers, cross-border job matching, smart waste collection and recycling, and low-cost water-quality testing for rural communities.
The closing programme in Abidjan combined project development with exposure to technology and business leaders. Fellows joined a session on AI for impact with Celina Lee, co-founder of Zindi, took part in hands-on public speaking and pitch coaching, and met Yango Group leaders from several African markets to discuss career growth, entrepreneurship and building technology businesses in different local contexts.
At the final Pitch Day, fellows presented six team projects and selected individual projects to a jury of technology, investment and industry experts. The event concluded with an awards ceremony, with a total prize fund of USD 12,000 recognising the strongest team and individual projects.
Africoded took the top group prize of USD 4,500 for its AI-assisted platform connecting African job seekers with cross-border employment, remote work and career-development opportunities across the continent. Harambee placed second, receiving USD 2,500 for a smart waste collection and recycling platform connecting households, waste collectors and recyclers, while Bloom took third place and USD 1,500 for its African Transit Payment Revolution, a cashless fare-collection system designed for informal public transport across East and West Africa.
In the individual category, Fredrick Mwepu of Zambia won the USD 1,500 Best Individual Project award for RoboCore Zambia, a locally developed robotics platform designed to make practical STEM education more accessible and affordable. Ghana’s Meshack Kwame Nartey received the USD 1,000 runner-up prize for Shuttle Smart Ghana, an app that tracks university shuttles and gives students real-time information on their arrival. Oulimata Rose Dia received the USD 1,000 Best Technical/AI Contribution award for Smart Bin Collection, a solar-powered system that monitors bin fill levels in real time and uses 2G connectivity to support more efficient waste collection.
“600 applications for 24 places doesn’t tell you Africa lacks talent, it tells you how much talent is waiting for structured access to mentorship and opportunity. Africa has no shortage of brilliant young people. What’s harder to find is a mentor, a network, and the opportunity to test an idea against a real problem. That’s the specific gap this Fellowship exists to close” said Shashi Singh, Director of Operations, Yango Ride MEA & Asia.
“Growing up, hands-on STEM tools were something I only saw in videos — RoboCore Zambia exists to close that gap, so the next student who wants to build something doesn’t have to wait for the chance I almost didn’t get, I am excited that my project got to see the light of day and it was a wonderful experience to travel, meet other fellows from all other countries and learn directly from experts and leaders in Tech and AI. This is an experience I will never forget” said Fredrick Mwepu, Zambian STEM student and winner of the Best Individual Project award for RoboCore Zambia, his locally developed robotics platform designed to make practical STEM education more accessible and affordable.
The programme responds to a wider reality across the continent: digital growth depends on people, not only infrastructure. Building and scaling technology locally requires engineers, entrepreneurs and technology professionals with practical experience — and people who understand the realities of their own markets. For Yango Group, investing in that talent is closely linked to how the company builds across Africa: different markets have different infrastructure, behaviours and needs, so strong local businesses require strong local expertise. The Fellowship is one way Yango helps strengthen that talent pipeline while building connections across Africa’s wider technology ecosystem.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Yango Group
About YANGO Group
Yango Group is an international tech company, transforming globally sourced technologies into everyday services that are tailored to local communities. With an unwavering commitment to innovation, we reshape and enhance leading cutting-edge technologies from around the world into seamlessly integrated daily services for diverse regions. Yango Group provides its digital services, including mobility, delivery, foodtech, entertainment among many others, across 30+ countries in Africa, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, South Asia and other regions.
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