Charlette N'Guessan

Your work at Amini focuses on addressing data scarcity in Africa, a critical challenge with far-reaching implications. What inspired you to take on this issue, and what impact do you hope to create?

I decided to join Amini after a conversation with CEO Kate Kallot about her vision to drive economic growth across Africa through Data and AI. Her perspective resonated deeply with me. As someone who grew up in Africa and has a background in building data-driven solutions for the continent, I've witnessed firsthand how the lack of comprehensive data undermines decision-making in crucial sectors like healthcare, agriculture, Education, and finance.

Africa's digital divide has created a severe data gap, with scarcity and inaccessibility hampering progress across sectors. At Amini, our mission to tackle data scarcity is rooted in the understanding that without reliable, local, contextual data, African nations will continue to struggle to contribute to and fully benefit from the global AI economic revolution. We believe that data is the seed of economic transformation, not only for Africa but for all countries in the global south. With the right data, we can better understand our challenges, allocate resources effectively, and measure the real impact of our innovations on the ground.

For me, working with Amini is more than a job, we are a team of passionate and talented people from different parts of the global south who are joining forces and committing to empowering AI solutions across global south nations. We're doing this by developing scalable data infrastructure and accelerating our R&D to fuel innovation, which will enable businesses to make smarter, faster, and more impactful decisions.

The impact I hope to create at Amini is to add 'ma pierre à l'édifice' in ensuring global south countries achieve true data sovereignty for development and to guarantee nations build the infrastructure and access the resources needed for AI-readiness.

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Through Afrokwary, you’re reshaping Africa’s data narrative and championing responsible innovation. What are the biggest misconceptions about AI advancements in Africa, and how does your work help shift that perspective?

Discussions about AI advancements in Africa often highlight the misconceptions held by the rest of the world. First, Africa has always been positioned as merely a passive consumer of technologies developed elsewhere: They build, ship here, and we're expected to use them. But you will agree with me that this approach has proven flawed, as many AI-driven solutions introduced in Africa fail to address local needs, are riddled with biases, and inadvertently create a form of foreign technological dominance in African markets.

A second misconception is the belief that Africa lacks the talents, infrastructure, or understanding to develop homegrown AI solutions tailored to its unique challenges. While it is true that African nations face infrastructural challenges compared to Western nations, this overlooks the vibrant ecosystem of African innovators already creating impactful solutions. Yes, we need more investment and effort from our governments, as well as the public and private sectors to maximize our current resources. But it is entirely false to assume that innovation cannot thrive on the continent. The narrative must shift from waiting for external solutions to actively building and scaling local innovations.

A third critical misconception relates to AI policy and regulation being shaped without African voices. Why should entities with a limited understanding of our socioeconomic contexts, data landscapes, and priority needs dictate our AI narrative? Let’s be honest, dDecision-makers who shape global AI strategies rarely engage with the realities on the ground. It is not just being quoted as an African,  If you haven’t been ground-building AI-driven models in Africa, you can’t be loud and make decisions on our behalf.

We are building Afrokwary to directly challenge misconceptions about Africa's role in scientific advancement by creating a powerful network that empowers African researchers and innovators to address our unique challenges with Africa-centric approaches. Our plan centers on fostering responsible innovation through community engagement. We plan to implement programs that redefine the R&D investment process in Africa to support our local researchers, empower AI builders to advocate for responsible innovation, and secure meaningful representation of African researchers and innovators' voices in national and international AI policy conversations. We plan to launch our programs this year to drive meaningful change in this narrative. The story needs to be authentic, and who better to share our true data narrative than African builders ourselves?

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As someone actively engaged in shaping AI governance in Africa through the AU High-Level Panel, what opportunities excite you most about Africa’s role in the global AI landscape?

As I mentioned earlier, I recognize the importance of bringing the voices of African builders into the global AI conversation. A cause I’ve been vocal about. Serving as an AI expert consultant with APET (the African Union High-Level Group on Emerging Technologies) has allowed me to be deeply involved in AI governance and advocate more effectively for our interests in international forums where AI standards and norms are being shaped. What excites me most is the unique opportunity to articulate AI frameworks and strategies that truly reflect African values and priorities from the ground up and engage with global AI decision-makers.

From the pan-African AI governance conversations I’ve participated in, I can confidently say that Africa plays a vital role in the global AI landscape. Our experience navigating complex social, economic, and cultural contexts equips us to develop nuanced, adaptable governance frameworks, and models that could inspire other regions facing similar challenges.

I truly hope that all the initiatives and efforts we are making right now will contribute to ensuring African nations don't just have a seat at the global AI governance table, but set and contribute to the global AI agenda.

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Reflecting on your journey from co-founding Bace API to winning the RAEng Africa Prize-what are the key lessons you've learned, and what advice would you share with young African women aspiring to break into AI and tech?

As a former deep tech founder, my journey building BACE API was both exciting and challenging. We experienced inspiring growth, but it wasn't enough to sustain the company long-term. We started in 2018 and closed operations in 2023, yet we accumulated many wins and lessons that today we proudly call 'our experiences.'

Among our achievements was becoming the first African startup to build an AI-powered facial recognition solution API. It helped businesses offer more flexible access to services for remote beneficiaries while ensuring a secure e-KYC process. Our solution also addressed the biases in existing facial recognition systems that often failed to accurately recognize dark skin at that time.

Reflecting on this journey, I recognize the importance of building with what we have for the people we know. Rather than trying to solve every problem at once, we focused on addressing one challenge at a time while developing our models. This methodical approach helped us win the Africa Prize of Engineering awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Being the first woman to receive this prize gave us greater market visibility, and personally, it was incredible to see my work inspire other women in the field.

It was never just about 4 friends building something cool, it was about young African innovators creating meaningful impact through innovation. For me, this remains the most valuable aspect of my journey.

Some key pieces of advice I want to share today are these: if you want to build AI-driven solutions for African markets, don't focus on trends, build with purpose. Africa doesn't need fancy AI products; we need effective, impactful solutions. Also, keep in mind that for every problem, there are multiple ways to solve it. AI is just one tool in the toolbox, and sometimes, it may not be the best one. So be open-minded.

To young African women aspiring to break into AI and tech, believe in your potential and skills. Stay open to collaboration, and don't shy away from driving innovation. Own your story and actively shape it. Your ideas, your voice, and your innovations are crucial to the future of technology in Africa. Don't miss the opportunity to contribute to the Africa AI narrative.

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