Betelhem Dessie

Ethiopian tech prodigy shaping Africa's AI landscape from age 9

Dubbed "Ethiopia's Bill Gates", Betelhem Dessie (born 2002) started coding at 7 and launched her first startup at 13. Her iCog Labs collaborates with Hanson Robotics to develop AI systems like Sophia the Robot, while her Anyone Can Code initiative trained 50,000+ African youths in AI/ML.

Dessie's SolveIT platform uses machine learning to optimize Ethiopia's fractured agricultural supply chains. Her algorithms predict crop yields with 92% accuracy, reducing post-harvest losses by 40%. The system now serves 800,000 farmers across East Africa.

At 19, she became the youngest member of UN's High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation. Her current project – an AI-powered Amharic voice assistant – preserves Ethiopia's linguistic heritage while bridging the digital divide. Dessie's work proves that African innovation can lead global tech revolutions.