She is an expert in artificial intelligence, energy management systems, as well as smart grids and meters. She leverages technology to revolutionize how Cameroonians use electricity.

Agnès Virginie Tjahe (photo) is a Cameroonian tech entrepreneur and the founder of EMKit, a project aimed at addressing various issues related to electricity consumption, including overbilling, underbilling, excessive use, and energy fraud.

Launched in 2019, EMKit offers a system that allows users to monitor and manage their electricity supply and consumption remotely via SMS and the Internet. The kit collects consumption data every hour, which can be used to develop big data solutions for the energy sector. The project also aims to integrate artificial intelligence to enhance decision-making in the field.

EMKit optimizes energy use in Africa by helping reduce high electricity bills for households and combating fraud and underbilling on the power grid. The solution promotes energy efficiency, supports the development of smart grids, and drives the growth of big data in the energy sector.

The startup has already developed three different prototypes and installed ten kits in households in the western region of Cameroon. In August 2024, Agnès Virginie Tjahe won the women’s prize and first place on the Orange Social Venture Prize Africa & Middle East (POESAM) national stage in Cameroon.

In addition to her entrepreneurial work, Agnès Virginie Tjahe is a lecturer in the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering at the Fotso Victor University Institute of Technology, part of the University of Dschang in Cameroon.

She holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering obtained in 2014 from the National Advanced School of Agro-Industrial Sciences (ENSAI) at the University of Ngaoundéré, and a PhD in energy mechanics from the University of Dschang, earned in 2019.

Melchior Koba