Yango Fellowship brings together tech talent from six African countries to build locally rooted solutions

The Pan-African Yango Fellowship 2026 concluded in Abidjan, uniting 24 tech talent from six African nations for a two-day graduation and pitch event. Applicants, hailing from Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Zambia, Senegal, Ethiopia, and Mozambique, competed for spots in a highly competitive programme. Over 12 weeks, fellows collaborated in mixed-country teams to tackle diverse challenges, including cashless payments for informal transport, digital financial identity for merchants, medicine supply visibility for health workers, cross-border job matching, smart waste collection and recycling, and low-cost water-quality testing for rural communities.

The event featured sessions on AI for impact, public speaking and pitch coaching, and networking with Yango Group leaders from across Africa. On Pitch Day, teams and individual projects were presented to a panel of experts, who awarded a total of USD 12,000 in prizes. Africoded secured the top group prize for its AI-assisted platform connecting job seekers with cross-border employment opportunities, while Harambee and Bloom earned second and third place, respectively.

Zambian robotics student Fredrick Mwepu emerged as the Best Individual Project winner for his affordable STEM education platform, RoboCore Zambia.

Yango Group's Director of Operations, Shashi Singh, emphasized that the Fellowship addresses the scarcity of mentorship and opportunities for young African tech talent. The programme highlights the importance of local expertise in building and scaling technology tailored to the continent's diverse markets. Singh stated that investing in such talent is crucial for Yango Group's approach to expanding operations across Africa.