Yango Fellowship 2026: 24 young African talents serving local innovation

On September 19, 2026, in Abidjan, six teams of young technologists presented the prototypes developed during the twelve weeks of the Yango Fellowship program. According to TechCabal, this initiative, led by the Yango group, aims to transform daily challenges into digital solutions. The projects addressed various issues, ranging from facilitating payments in informal transport to connecting job seekers with international opportunities, as well as waste management.

The 2026 cohort brought together 24 fellows selected from over 600 candidates from Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Zambia, Senegal, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. For three months, these participants worked in mixed teams to design business models and technical solutions. This year, the focus was on applied artificial intelligence, with the goal of addressing the digital skills gap on the continent.

Shashi Singh, Director of Operations for Yango Ride MEA & Asia, emphasizes that this approach is based on the conviction that Africans are best positioned to solve the challenges of their own environment. Unlike an external approach, the program relies on an intimate knowledge of the field. This strategy is part of a $150 million global investment plan announced by Yango for 2026 to strengthen its presence in ten new African countries.

The program is not limited to simple talent recruitment. Yango encourages fellows to pursue their own projects, whether they are integrated into the company's ecosystem or become independent entities. The stated long-term ambition is to see a high-value company, or "unicorn," emerge from these cohorts within three to five years, thereby fostering technological growth driven by local innovators.

Our perspective

The rise of such programs testifies to the vitality of the African technological ecosystem. By betting on local expertise rather than imported solutions, these initiatives strengthen the continent's digital sovereignty. For young Africans, this dynamic is an essential lever for transforming their potential into concrete innovations, thus ensuring a central place in the global economy of tomorrow.