Leveraging linguistic unity to connect African and Latin American tech spheres

Anie Akpe, founder of African Women In Tech (AWIT), a platform that facilitates education and mentorship for women in the tech sector, highlights the role of language in bridging the tech ecosystems of Africa and Latin America.

This conversation occurred with the ‘rest of the world’ outlet at the Web Summit Rio de Janeiro 2023 and has been streamlined for conciseness and clarity.

When asked about the parallels and disparities between African and Latin American tech landscapes, Akpe identified common social structures, with both continents witnessing stark disparities between wealthy and disadvantaged communities.

Such socio-economic dynamics can significantly influence tech advancements. She also mentioned differences in infrastructure, asserting that while countries like Brazil, Kenya, and Ghana have robust infrastructures, this isn’t the case across all African nations.

Akpe believes that shared challenges could form the basis of mutual learning. During her mentoring sessions in Brazil, she encountered questions about sales, marketing, and education, similar to those raised by aspiring tech women in Africa.

She posits that solving these globally shared issues could potentially unlock new resources and opportunities, particularly in regions like Latin America and Africa.

In terms of forging connections, Akpe emphasizes the role of language.

For instance, despite the predominance of Portuguese speakers, an event in Mozambique highlighted the necessity of English in international settings.

However, she notes that language barriers are secondary when building tech ecosystems. The primary goal, she suggests, should be creating networks between Portuguese-speaking women in the tech industry across Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Brazil, and Lisbon.

This linguistic unity facilitates easier interaction and mutual growth between tech scenes.