A trained computer scientist with 25 years of experience in the technology and telecommunications sectors, she is also a dedicated entrepreneur. Her mission is to promote and facilitate the commercialization of exclusively African products.

Nafy Diagne (photo) is a Senegalese telecommunications expert and tech entrepreneur who has dedicated her career to advancing African innovation. She is the founder of Awalebiz, an e-commerce platform designed to showcase African creativity and craftsmanship.

Founded in 2014, Awalebiz provides an online marketplace where designers, clothing manufacturers, artists, artisans, and local entrepreneurs can sell their products. This multi-vendor platform allows each producer to manage their own store, offering African talent a global audience. Through Awalebiz, the company aims to elevate local artisans and celebrate the richness of African culture.

“We launched the platform five years ago and validated the concept of a cross-border continental platform that unites sellers from different African countries, enabling them to market their products locally, regionally, and internationally,” explains Diagne.

Since 2023, Nafy Diagne has served as the Head of Strategy and Transformation at Free Sénégal, a telecommunications company. She joined the firm in 2019 as Director of Digital Transformation and Customer Experience.

A graduate of Centrale Lille Institut in France, where she earned a master’s degree in Computer Science and Industrial Technology in 1999, Diagne began her career at Capgemini as an integration team leader. In 2008, she joined Ericsson as a solutions architect, later holding roles such as customer project manager for system integration, program director, project lead for sub-Saharan Africa, and Chief Information Officer for the region.

In 2016, she became Telecommunications Market Director for Atos in the India, Middle East, and Africa region. Between 2020 and 2023, she served as Chief Digital Officer at Axian Group, a pan-African conglomerate specializing in telecommunications, finance, energy, real estate, and open innovation.

Awalebiz won the top prize at the Linguère Digital Challenge in 2017. In both 2022 and 2023, Diagne was named among the Top 100 Global Chief Digital Officers, a prestigious ranking by HP Enterprise and HotTopics.

Melchior Koba