26-year-old N’Guessan becomes first African woman to win prize for engineering innovation

Charlette N’Guessan, the first-ever woman to win the Africa Prize

A Cote D’Ivorian technology entrepreneur in Accra has won the Royal Academy of Engineering’s prestigious 2020 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. Charlette N’Guessan is the first-ever woman to win the Africa Prize, and the first winner based in Ghana.

The 26-year-old N’Guessan and her team developed BACE API, a software that uses facial recognition and artificial intelligence to verify identities remotely. The software can be integrated into existing apps and systems and is aimed at financial institutions and other industries that rely on identity verification when providing services.