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A fervent believer in the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to propel growth for businesses and institutions across Africa and beyond, he has channeled this passion into his startup, eWaati.
Fousseyni Dembele (photo) is a Malian entrepreneur and artificial intelligence and robotics expert. He is the co-founder and CEO of eWaati, a startup specializing in AI and robotics technologies. His mission, as stated on his LinkedIn profile, is "to create smart and interconnected solutions that promote the growth of private enterprises across all sectors globally."
Founded in 2019, eWaati offers facial recognition and data analysis technologies for various sectors, including public security, business management, finance, education, and marketing. The company aims to transform the daily operations of businesses, institutions, and public services in Mali and Africa.
eWaati's flagship solution is a digital system for managing employee attendance and work hours, equipped with facial recognition technology. This device, bearing the startup's name, aims to improve punctuality and security within companies and institutions. Additionally, eWaati offers eSchool, a comprehensive digital solution for school management.
Before eWaati, Fousseyni Dembele founded Heat Decision in 2018, a startup focused on providing IT solutions to help business leaders and managers make informed decisions.
Fousseyni Dembele holds a master's degree in computer applications, obtained in 2017 from Djillali Liabes University in Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria. Before venturing into entrepreneurship, he worked from 2017 to 2019 at NG System Technology, a company developing web and mobile solutions, where he held the position of software developer.
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A logistics professional by training, he aims to facilitate the transport of goods in Africa. After accumulating several years of experience with various companies and transport organizations, he founded his own startup, Buur Logistics.
Amadou Dieng (photo) is a Senegalese logistics professional and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Buur Logistics, a startup operating in the transport and logistics sector.
Founded in 2019, Buur Logistics provides services for connecting and optimizing the transport of goods across North and West Africa. The company collaborates with over 3,000 African service providers and offers a tracking system that allows real-time location of trucks and goods.
Buur Logistics boasts a fleet of over 3,500 geolocatable trucks that can be mobilized at any time. The company also owns certified warehouses for goods storage and handles cargo for its clients. To date, it has served 3,200 clients across 120 different areas.
In 2021, Amadou Dieng was a laureate of the Orange Corners program and received support from the Orange Fab accelerator in Senegal in 2022. He will participate in GITEX AFRICA, held from May 29 to 31, 2024, in Marrakech, Morocco.
Amadou Dieng graduated from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, where he earned a higher technician diploma in logistics and port management in 2018, followed by a bachelor's degree in international trade and logistics development in 2019. He began his professional career in March 2018 at the Senegalese Consortium of Maritime Activities (COSAMA) as a port agent.
In November 2018, he joined DHL Global Forwarding, which provides air, sea, and land freight services, as a customs agent. In 2019, he joined Kemtar, a digital platform facilitating connections between transporters and professional or individual clients in West Africa, where he was the logistics operations manager.
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A communications graduate with experience in Moroccan industry, she identified a gap in communication between healthcare providers and patients. To address this challenge, she and her team developed a mobile application aimed at streamlining these interactions.
Sabrine Zahroubane (pictured), a Moroccan marketing and communication specialist, is the co-founder and CEO of SehaLink, a healthtech company aiming to streamline communication between doctors, patients, and laboratories.
Zahroubane, who holds a master's degree in marketing from ESCA School of Management in Casablanca (2016), co-founded the company (originally Ta7alil.ma) in 2020 with Maryem Renaja. Rebranded as SehaLink in May 2024, the company seeks to address challenges patients face in retrieving test results and managing appointments.
The SehaLink app offers several features, including online appointment scheduling with healthcare professionals, digitization and archiving of medical records, receipt of test results and reports, and management of blood donation requests.
SehaLink's innovative approach has earned them a spot among startups exhibiting at GITEX Africa, taking place May 29-31, 2024, in Marrakech.
In addition to her role at SehaLink, Sabrine Zahroubane is an associate director at Digital & Creativity, a digital communication agency she founded in 2017 with Maryem Renaja. She also chairs the Lueur d’espoir Casablanca association, which works in humanitarian and medical fields.
Zahroubane's professional journey began in September 2016 as a project manager at Bonzai Agency, a brand design and maintenance company. In September 2017, she transitioned to advertising manager at Klem, a Moroccan communications firm.
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After earning her engineering degree and accumulating three years of experience in research and development, Marwa Moula decided to dedicate herself to entrepreneurship. In 2020, she founded her first company to revolutionize the e-commerce industry in Africa.
Marwa Moula (pictured) is a Tunisian DevOps engineer, digital marketing specialist, and entrepreneur. She is the co-founder and CEO of IleyCom, a social marketplace offering products crafted by entrepreneurs primarily based in Africa.
Founded in 2020, IleyCom provides African artisans with an omnichannel platform to sell their handmade creations, including traditional Berber clothing and culinary specialties. Its mission is to "reinvent fair e-commerce to create a more fulfilling and sustainable world, and we are committed to using the power of business to strengthen communities."
In addition to its marketplace, IleyCom runs an incubation program for young social entrepreneurs, helping them develop impactful projects and showcase their products.
Since Wednesday, May 22, 2024, Marwa Moula has been representing her startup at the VivaTech conference, which concludes on Saturday, May 25.
Apart from her work at IleyCom, Marwa Moula has served as the president of the association "La Tunisie De Demain" since 2020. This organization promotes the establishment of a social and solidarity-based economy (ESS) in Tunisia.
Marwa Moula graduated from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Lyon, earning a master's degree in mechanical engineering in 2016, followed by a Ph.D. in materials science in 2020. In 2021, she obtained a DevOps engineering degree from Ib Cegos, a subsidiary of the Cegos Group, specializing in IT professional training.
Before venturing into entrepreneurship, Marwa gained extensive experience in France. In 2014, she was a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) engineer at STELIA Aerospace, a manufacturer of components for the aerospace industry. In 2015, she joined LaMCoS, a mechanical laboratory, as a numerical simulation engineer. In 2021, she became a research and development engineer at the University of Lille.
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A technology expert, he has over 15 years of experience working with international firms. Since 2016, he is dedicated to facilitating access to energy for all Africans.
Abdala Dissa, a Burkinabe national, is a telecommunications expert and entrepreneur. He is one of the co-founders and the CEO of AliothSystem, a start-up focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency design and innovation.
Founded in 2016, AliothSystem established a domestic solar system (SHS) assembly unit to promote access to solar energy and advance renewable energy in Africa. Through a Pay-as-you-go system, the start-up enables users to pay according to their consumption, thereby helping rural inhabitants quickly access clean, affordable, and reliable energy.
AliothSystem's products are marketed under the brand "téréBox" in Burkina Faso. To date, the company has deployed over 3,500 domestic solar systems on behalf of the Ministry of Energy and the Burkinabe Rural Electrification Agency (ABER) over the past two years. The company aims to install one million SHS units by 2030.
Since May 13, 2024, the company has been participating in the third season of Orange Fab, organized by Orange Digital Center. Represented by its CEO, AliothSystem is attending the VivaTech conference in Paris, which has been ongoing since Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
Abdala Dissa holds an engineering degree in telecommunications and networks, earned in 2009 from Télécom Saint-Etienne. His professional career began in 2008 at N-SOFT, a technology company, where he served as a technical support engineer and project manager for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region.
In 2012, he became a senior core network engineer at the telecommunications and technology company SFR. The following year, he joined Ericsson as a senior core network engineer. In 2014, he moved to Hub One, a digital technology operator, where he worked as a senior core network operations engineer and then as a core network VoIP/ToIP architect from 2017 to 2020.
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A web developer, he is passionate about creating innovative solutions to address his clients' problems. He has already developed dozens of digital projects.
Mamadou Dieye, a Senegalese web developer, IT consultant, and entrepreneur, has founded Peelo, a startup specializing in creating chatbots for e-commerce and financial institutions. These chatbots are designed to boost online sales and automate customer support, revolutionizing commerce and communication with smart, no-code WhatsApp chatbots that make interactions with a broader audience easier.
Peelo's chatbots enable e-merchants and financial institutions to efficiently respond to customer messages and comments, thereby increasing conversion rates and collecting data to personalize the user experience. On May 21, 2024, Mamadou Dieye presented Peelo at the Orange Fab Demo event in France, and since May 22, he has been participating in the VivaTech expo, organized by the Les Echos-Le Parisien group.
In addition to Peelo, Mamadou Dieye is also the founder of Mojay.pro, a startup he founded in 2022 to assist established companies and startups in their digital transformation process by offering technology solutions tailored to their daily challenges. Through Mojay.pro, he has successfully completed over 50 projects.
Mamadou Dieye graduated from the University of Dakar’s Polytechnic School and began his career in 2016 as a programmer analyst at Agence 3W, a digital agency providing innovative communication solutions. In 2019, he joined the Impact Hub Dakar incubator as a business developer, and in 2021, he became a web development instructor at Go My Code, a startup that trains people in digital skills.
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A management graduate, he has over eight years of experience working in various companies and organizations. As an entrepreneur, he has been repeatedly recognized for his creativity and leadership.
Thomas Belibi Fotso (photo) is a Cameroonian entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Bookbookshop, an innovative startup in the educational sector.
Founded in 2019, Bookbookshop aims to simplify access to books by offering an ordering and delivery service, assisting parents during school start periods. Through its online platform, individuals, schools, and companies can order academic books. Additionally, Bookbookshop supports organizations in their social initiatives by donating books and supplies.
In addition to his role at Bookbookshop, Thomas Belibi Fotso serves as the executive director of Youth Touch, a non-governmental organization dedicated to the development of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. Since 2015, he has overseen the volunteer program, strategic development, and resource management at Youth Touch.
Thomas Belibi Fotso graduated from the National Advanced School of Posts, Telecommunications and ICT in Cameroon, earning a bachelor's degree in telecommunications management and business administration in 2015. He also holds a master's degree in economic sciences and management, obtained from the University of Yaoundé II in 2018.
A mentor in the Tony Elumelu Foundation Mentorship Program in 2023, his professional career began in 2013 at Campost, the national postal service of Cameroon, where he was an intern. He later worked as an administrative and sales assistant at Proluxe in Yaoundé from 2016 to 2017, before becoming the manager and director of Massa Judith Corporation, a service startup, from 2019 to 2023.
Recognized for his commitment and impact, Thomas Belibi Fotso won the Orange Social Entrepreneur Award in Africa and the Middle East (POESAM) in 2020. The same year, he was one of the winners of the 1000 Entrepreneurs Challenge at the France-Africa Summit.
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His goal is to help businesses and individuals boost their ventures. To achieve this, he has launched several initiatives, including a freelance platform.
Boubacar Diallo (photo) is a Guinean-born computer engineer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Jamaa, a startup dedicated to helping businesses and individuals recruit top African digital talent for their projects.
Founded in 2021, Jamaa is a marketplace that connects companies with skilled freelancers on demand, offering services in various digital fields. The platform features professionals in graphic design, digital marketing, telemarketing, writing and translation, software development demonstrations, and programming.
Jamaa also organizes events such as the Jamaa Summit, a conference bringing together investors and entrepreneurs. This year, the summit will be held on May 25 and 26 in France, expecting nearly 1,000 participants, including 20 investment funds, 70 speakers, 16 startups, and 50 exhibitors.
Before Jamaa, Boubacar Diallo co-founded Tutorys, where he served as CTO until 2015. Established in 2010, Tutorys provides online training for using web applications like Twitter, Mailchimp, and Blogger. In 2015, he founded AfrikaTech, a platform promoting African startups and those in the diaspora. In 2020, he co-founded Business Africa, a weekend event focusing on African entrepreneurship, where he served as marketing director.
Boubacar Diallo holds a master's degree in computer engineering from EFREI, a digital school where he graduated in 2009. His career began in 2005 at the Effor training center, where he worked as a sales representative and trainer before becoming president in 2007. In 2006, he was a database developer at Bouygues and later worked as a Java developer at Infotel in 2008.
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After her biomedical and electrical engineering studies, she developed an interest in artificial intelligence. Today, she is considered one of the most influential figures in the AI field worldwide.
Pelonomi Moiloa (photo) is a South African entrepreneur. As the co-founder and CEO of Lelapa AI, she is dedicated to developing artificial intelligence products.
Founded in 2022, Lelapa AI is an AI research lab focused on Africa. By creating this company, Pelonomi Moiloa, convinced that developing countries need their own language models, uses AI to aid in the natural language processing of African languages.
"Language models created elsewhere lack an understanding of the local context. They can harbor perspectives that can be damaging to the communities that use them. If there is anyone who should benefit from profit generated from a language — a cultural heirloom — it should be the people to whom that language belongs," she explains.
One of Lelapa AI's innovations is Vulavula, an application that performs transcriptions to facilitate reading and allows for quick analysis of the emotional tone of voice messages. Translation features are being developed to enrich the platform.
In addition to her responsibilities at Lelapa AI, Pelonomi Moiloa is the director of The Ungovernable NPC, an organization that offers programs and projects to rethink entrepreneurship. She graduated from the University of Witwatersrand in 2015 with a degree in electrical engineering and from Tohoku University in Japan in 2019 with a master's degree in biomedical engineering.
Pelonomi Moiloa worked at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) between 2014 and 2016 as a data science intern. From 2019 to 2022, she was a data scientist and team leader at Nedbank in Johannesburg.
In recognition of her achievements, Pelonomi Moiloa was named by Time magazine in 2023 as one of the 100 most influential people in AI worldwide.
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An entrepreneur with over seven years of experience in the digital sector, she established several companies, primarily in the education sector.
Hadjara Ahouantchede (photo) is a Beninese trainer and entrepreneur. As the co-founder and CEO of Mara Academy, she aims to create decent and sustainable jobs for young people in Africa.
Founded in 2021, Mara Academy equips Africans with the skills necessary to secure quality employment. The academy offers various programs, including the Youth Employment Accelerator (YEA) and SHIFT. The YEA program, lasting 52 weeks, targets young people aged 18 to 35 seeking their first professional opportunity. The SHIFT program, which spans six months or more, is designed for professionals undergoing a career transition.
Through the YEA program, Mara Academy trains students in digital marketing, social media management, and UX/UI design. The SHIFT program also includes cybersecurity training and prepares students for recognized certifications in digital project management.
"We are focused on future-oriented careers, and all our training programs aim to help young people find employment. We train our students to acquire the necessary skills and aptitudes to secure good jobs," said Hadjara Ahouantchede in 2022.
As a trainer, Hadjara Ahouantchede is involved with the Francophone Employability Center (CEF) of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and the African Design School at Ecole229. She is also an ambassador for Future Females, a movement that inspires and supports female entrepreneurs.
Before Mara Academy, Hadjara co-founded Mentorat Club in 2016, a community of mentors boosting African businesses. The following year, she co-founded Sewema, an educational platform.
Hadjara holds a master's degree in software architecture from the School of Management, Computer Science, and Sciences (ESGIS), which she obtained in 2016. She began her professional career in 2015 at Cdiscussion as an assistant IT engineer. In 2016, she worked as a web developer at TEKXL.
In 2017, she joined the IT company RINTIO as a software development consultant. She has also been a consultant for TechnoServe, an entrepreneur support organization, and the Belgian development agency Enabel.
In 2019, she received the Femme Digitale 229 award from the Beninese Ministry of Digital Technology and Digitization.
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He has over 20 years of experience in information technology and payments. He applies his skills to the development of fintech and technology in Africa.
Martin Warioba, a Tanzanian entrepreneur and investor, established Warioba Ventures, a consulting and investment firm based in Dar es Salaam, in 2022. The firm’s primary objective is to foster an environment that encourages fintech and startups to address Africa’s significant challenges through technology. Its offerings include investment, fintech and startup development, corporate strategy, payments, and technology consulting.
Warioba Ventures concentrates on East Africa, providing not only financial support to entrepreneurs but also technical expertise, advanced market understanding, and assistance. The firm primarily focuses on early-stage and seed-phase startups with innovative business models, increasing revenues, a robust economic base, and the potential for expansion throughout Africa.
In addition to his role at Warioba Ventures, Martin Warioba is a non-executive director at Dawa Mkononi, a pharmaceutical company committed to enhancing access to medicines in Tanzania and across Africa. He also presides over the board of the CRDB Bank Foundation.
Martin Warioba earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics from Louisiana State University in 2003 and a Master’s in Information Management from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in 2007. Before launching Warioba Ventures, he co-founded WS Technology Consulting, a technology and consulting firm, in 2011.
Warioba began his professional journey in 2004 at the Central Bank of Tanzania as an IT analyst and programmer. In 2006, he advanced to the role of project manager at CVS Health, a company specializing in health solutions. He joined Deloitte as a technology integration consultant in 2007. From 2009 to 2013, he worked as a technology analyst and project manager at the Central Bank of Tanzania.
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Driven by the vision of a prosperous digital future for African businesses, he develops customized technological tools that cater to the specific needs of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Tanzanian native John Haule is the founder and CEO of Swahiliesm a startup that develops digital payment solutions for businesses across Africa. Established in 2020, Swahilies provides digital tools designed to empower African businesses by offering sophisticated financial and operational resources. Its mission is to streamline accounting processes, facilitate digital payments, and provide access to banking solutions. The company offers a suite of solutions aimed at helping businesses maintain organization and operate efficiently.
Swahilies has developed a platform that enables businesses to track sales and expenses in real-time, providing them with an accurate understanding of their performance at any given moment. It offers a real-time inventory management system and has created tools to assist businesses in recovering unpaid debts from their customers. Swahilies’ solutions are currently used by over 10,000 businesses in Tanzania.
In addition to his role at Swahilies, Haule is a founding member of the Tanzania Fintech Association (TAFINA), a platform dedicated to bolstering the fintech ecosystem to advance financial and economic inclusion in Tanzania. As the editor-in-chief of the media outlet This Week in Fintech in Africa, he also contributes to the reporting on sector developments.
Prior to Swahilies, Haule founded several other companies. In 2015, he established Positivity Clothing Brand, a clothing brand aimed at inspiring the new generation. The company offered a range of products, including customized t-shirts and caps. In 2016, he co-founded Swahili Inspiration, a digital media platform that uses the Swahili language to inform Tanzanians about global opportunities.
Haule earned a bachelor’s degree in social protection in 2020 from the Institute of Finance Management. From 2021 to 2022, he served as a VC scout, seeking investment opportunities in startups for the investment firm shl.vc.
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With several years of experience gained from Senegalese and European companies, he has ventured into the education sector, using technology to assist schoolchildren.
Senegalese Entrpreneur Mafal Lô Absa is the co-founder of Génimi, a startup that streamlines tutoring to aid students in Francophone Africa. Established in 2022, Génimi is a mobile platform that makes learning an enjoyable experience for children, parents, and tutors alike. Its mission is to nurture each child’s potential by teaching them how to learn and instilling a lifelong passion for learning.
Génimi is designed to support elementary students who are struggling with mathematics and reading by identifying their challenges and connecting them with local coaches to help them excel. Besides facilitating diagnosis, the app provides a program to address children’s learning gaps, guides coaches, and generates engaging exercises that children can tackle independently. To date, the app, in collaboration with three schools, has served 1,488 students and trained 38 coaches.
Mafal Lô Absa also serves as the president of CJD Senegal, the national chapter of an international non-profit organization of young leaders and business executives dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and enhancing the overall performance of businesses and entrepreneurs.
In 2015, he founded FIREFLY Media Senegal, a platform that enables businesses and brands to better understand and engage their target audiences. In 2019, he co-founded PitchPalabre, a company focused on enhancing the capacities of young entrepreneurs.
Mafal Lô Absa earned a degree in systems, networks, and telecommunications engineering in 2004 from Ingésup, a computer engineering school. He also holds a master’s degree in market finance, which he received in 2007 from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers.
With a diverse professional background, he has worked as a business and IT analyst at SIX Telekurs, a Swiss company providing services in the securities, financial information, and payments sectors. He has also held positions as a business analyst at BNP Paribas and Dexia Asset Management, a European asset management company.
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He is a dedicated entrepreneur who devotes his life to creating technological solutions aimed at improving the efficiency of small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa. His commitment to entrepreneurship and his innovative spirit have earned him several awards.
Ivorian tech entrepreneur Alex Degny (photo) is the co-founder and CEO of Tajiri, a startup established in 2023 to transform the restaurant management landscape in Côte d'Ivoire and throughout Africa. The company offers a mobile app, compatible with Android and iOS, that simplifies the lives of restaurateurs by providing a platform to log sales, monitor business data, and even secure financing. Its app streamlines order taking and tracking, and facilitates the monitoring and management of inventory for optimal planning.
In addition, Tajiri provides analytical reports that enable performance assessment and data-driven decision-making. It enhances operational efficiency in restaurants by improving communication between the dining area and the kitchen.
As of April 12, 2024, Alex Degny took on the role of president of #Ci20 (Côte d’Ivoire Innovation 20), a coalition of tech companies, succeeding Steven Bedi.
Prior to launching Tajiri, In 2017, Degny founded Innoving, a startup that offers management software to small and medium-sized enterprises. Then, in January 2018, he established RIZE’S, a French startup specializing in digital services.
Degny is a graduate of the Catholic University of West Africa, where he earned a master’s degree in banking, business, finance, and real estate law in 2008. He also holds a certificate in business administration and management from HEC Paris.
Degny embarked on his professional journey in 2011 at FIAO Côte d'Ivoire (West African Investment Finance), serving as the head of the executive office. In 2014, he transitioned to the role of sales manager at WABCO COTIA, a company that specializes in the production and marketing of compound fertilizers. In 2015, he served as an administrative consultant for the rice company GAN Logis. By 2016, he had become the general manager of Agri Hope, a consortium of several companies specializing in agribusiness.
In recognition of his contributions to the fields of technology and entrepreneurship in Africa, Degny was awarded the innovation prize at season 5 of Orange Fab Côte d'Ivoire in 2019.
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