10 Women Tech Founders in West Africa Building AI Startups & Shaping the Future

From AI-fuelled health misinformation monitoring in Burkina Faso to intelligent retail systems in Ghana, these 10 female tech founders are developing technology startups cantered on the problems faced in West Africa.

While the technology landscape in Africa is becoming increasingly gender diverse, there continues to be a lack of representation of women among startup founders and CEOs. Statistics speak for themselves; according to the 2026 Diversity Dividend study from Disrupt Africa, women participated in founding teams of 641 out of 3,331 tracked African startups (19.2 percent). In addition, 402 startups (12.1 percent) were founded by a female CEO.

Financing for women-led startups in Africa showcases an equally disappointing reality. Out of the 178 African startups that raised funds in 2025, only 30 (16.9 percent) had women on their founding teams, and only 17 of those startups (9.6 percent) were led by a female CEO.

Despite the prevailing challenges, a new wave of women-led tech startups is emerging across West Africa. A growing number of women tech founders are creating technology products across diverse fields such as healthcare, education, agriculture, retail, automation, and artificial intelligence is arising. In Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, and The Gambia, these women tech founders are proving that women in AI and technology are making African products.

Let’s have a look at 10 young women tech founders who are creating some of West Africa’s most innovative technology products and AI startups.