Lilian Sambo
A Mozambican tech entrepreneur and founder of the first women-led drone company in Africa, promoting agricultural innovation
Lilian Sambo (b. 1985) is a pioneering figure in African technology entrepreneurship, best known as founder of Aerodrake, the first women-led drone company in Mozambique. Growing up in rural Nampula province, she witnessed the challenges farmers faced with crop monitoring and pest control. This inspired her to study aeronautical engineering at the University of Eduardo Mondlane, where she became the first female graduate in her field.
Sambo's innovations include:
- Developing crop surveillance drones with AI-driven pest detection
- Creating seed dispersal drones for reforestation projects
- Establishing the "Women in Tech Mozambique" mentorship program
Her company's drones have helped increase maize yields by 30% in test regions. In 2018, she partnered with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to implement drought monitoring systems. Her TEDx talk "Drones for Development" has become a reference in African tech circles.
Sambo's advocacy extends beyond technology:
- She co-founded the Africa Digital Farmers Network
- Received the 2020 African Innovation Foundation Prize
- Launched the "Girls Code Mozambique" initiative in 2021
Her memoir "Flying Against the Wind: A Mozambican Woman's Journey in Tech" (2022) details her struggles as a female engineer in a male-dominated field. The documentary "Wings of Progress" (2020) chronicles her company's impact on rural communities. Her work exemplifies how technology can address both economic and gender disparities in post-colonial Africa.