By 
Yango Group has announced the 2026 cohort of its Yango Fellowship programme, selecting 24 participants from more than 600 applicants across six African countries.
Over 12 weeks, fellows will develop science and technology based projects using technical skills and present them at a final Demo Day in Abidjan.
The selected fellows come from Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia, Ethiopia, Senegal, Mozambique and Ghana, expanding the programme’s reach from two countries last year to six in 2026.
This year’s program focuses on the applied use of artificial intelligence. Participants will build solutions such as tools for health literacy, energy monitoring systems, traffic optimisation models and personalised learning in local languages.
The fellowship is structured in three stages: problem definition and market analysis, product development, and final presentation.
It concludes with a Demo Day, where teams present their projects to industry experts and partners and may receive seed funding to support MVP development.
“The Yango Fellowship is part of our long-term investment in local technology ecosystems,” said Adeniyi Adebayo, Chief Business Officer at Yango Group.
“By supporting early-stage talent and enabling cross-market collaboration, we aim to contribute to the development of scalable solutions that address real needs across African markets, while helping founders build and grow products that can operate beyond a single country.”
According to the World Bank, Africa faces a shortage of more than 2.5 million STEM professionals. The programme aims to provide hands-on experience and strengthen pathways into technology careers through mentorship and project-based learning.
Yango has made a strong impact in Zambia through education and youth empowerment.
The STEM Fellowship supported 30 university students with funding, mentorship, and paid internships, while fellows also volunteered at community events like painting classrooms for 300 underprivileged children at St. Charity School.
Yango further invested in youth by supporting the EGYD Career Fair for 450 students and sponsoring a football tournament for 72 teenagers in Kalingalinga.
On road safety, Yango partnered with the Zambia Road Safety Trust to install speed humps and zebra crossings at five government schools, training over 8,000 children in road safety.
The company also launched a Driver Safety and Conduct Training Program, equipping over 50 drivers with skills in respectful conduct.
Read more: Youngest Yango STEM fellow produces health focused tech solutions for Zambia’s youth
This builds on Yango’s broader innovation efforts in Zambia, including the 2023 and 2024 urban mobility hackathons delivered in partnership with Zindi, which brought together over 200 participants to solve real-world transport and data challenges using AI and predictive modelling.
Together, these initiatives reflect Yango’s commitment to building safer, more empowered communities across Zambia.
In previous cohorts, participants developed solutions across health, education and engineering.
Some graduates secured internships across partner organisations, while others received funding for community initiatives. Alumni have gone on to launch startups, digital products and non-governmental projects, continuing their work beyond the fellowship.
WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.
Comments