Yango Group has concluded the 2026 Pan-African Yango Fellowship with a two-day graduation programme and Pitch Day in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, bringing together 24 fellows from six African countries to showcase technology projects developed during the programme.
The cohort comprised fellows from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Zambia, Senegal, Ethiopia and Mozambique, selected from more than 600 applicants.
Over the 12-week programme, the fellows worked in six mixed-country teams, taking their ideas through problem identification and research, solution design, business modelling, prototyping and final pitching.
The projects focused on practical challenges, including 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 also gave the fellows an opportunity to interact with technology and business leaders.
They took part in a session on artificial intelligence (AI) for impact with Celina Lee, co-founder of Zindi, as well as practical public speaking and pitch coaching sessions.
The fellows also met Yango Group leaders from several African markets to discuss career development, entrepreneurship and building technology businesses within different local contexts.
At the final Pitch Day, the fellows presented six team projects and selected individual projects to a jury of technology, investment and industry experts.
The event ended with an awards ceremony, with a total prize fund of $12,000 for the strongest team and individual projects.
Africoded won the top group prize of $4,500 for its AI-assisted platform that connects African job seekers with cross-border employment, remote work and career development opportunities across the continent.
Harambee placed second and received $2,500 for its smart waste collection and recycling platform, which connects households, waste collectors and recyclers.
Bloom took third place and received $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, Zambia’s Fredrick Mwepu won the $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 $1,000 runner-up prize for Shuttle Smart Ghana, an application that tracks university shuttles and provides students with real-time information on their arrival.
Oulimata Rose Dia received the $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.
The Director of Operations, Yango Ride MEA & Asia, Shashi Singh, said the high number of applications for the limited number of places demonstrated the depth of talent across the continent.
“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,” he said.
Mwepu said his experience had reinforced his commitment to making practical STEM education more accessible to young people in Zambia.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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