Sana Maali

Tunisian tech pioneer building Africa's first AI education platform for girls

Sana Maali (b. 1988) is the visionary behind Madrasati, an AI-driven education platform that has provided STEM training to 200,000 North African girls since 2015. As a child refugee from Libya's conflict, she recognized the power of technology to bridge educational divides. Her platform uses adaptive learning algorithms to personalize instruction in Arabic and French, with 90% of users reporting improved math proficiency.

Maali's breakthrough came in 2020 when she partnered with UNICEF to deploy solar-powered learning pods in conflict zones. These self-sustaining units have reached 15,000 displaced students in Mali and Niger. Her TED Talk 'Code the Future' has over 2 million views.

In 2022, she launched Girls in AI, a competition that trained 3,000 African students in machine learning. Winners developed apps like AgriPredict (crop disease detection) and SafeRoutes (conflict zone navigation). The initiative recently secured $15M in funding from Google.org and the African Development Bank.

Maali's advocacy led to Tunisia's 2021 Digital Education Act, mandating coding education in all public schools. Her open-source curriculum materials are used in 12 African countries. Current projects include a partnership with SpaceX to provide satellite internet for rural schools. TIME Magazine named her one of 2023's most influential tech leaders under 40.