Markangi Mathebula

Pioneered women's empowerment in African tech entrepreneurship

Markangi Mathebula (b.1985) is a South African tech innovator who founded African Women in Tech in 2012. This initiative has trained over 15,000 women across 14 African countries in coding and digital skills, creating a continental network of female tech entrepreneurs. Her Tech Innovation Hub in Johannesburg provides seed funding and mentorship to startups addressing local challenges like healthcare access and agricultural efficiency. Mathebula's work was pivotal in increasing female representation in Africa's tech sector from 12% (2010) to 28% (2022). She developed the first mobile app for tracking cervical cancer screenings in rural areas, which has saved over 3,000 lives. Her TED Talk "How I helped create a new generation of African tech leaders" has over 2 million views. In 2018, she established the Pan-African Girls' Coding Academy, which now operates in 22 countries through partnerships with UNESCO and UN Women. Her recent venture, AgritechConnect, uses blockchain technology to connect smallholder farmers with global markets, lifting 45,000 families out of poverty.