Five groundbreaking young African tech innovators you should know

Charlette N’Guessan

Ghanaian, 2020 WINNER (with her team)

N’Guessan is the first woman to win the Africa Prize in 2020 after its inception in 2015.

N’Guessan and her cofounders conducted research during their studies which revealed that Ghana’s banks have a significant problem with identity fraud and cybercrime. The research estimated that approximately $400 million is spent annually by Ghanaian financial institutions to identify their customers. They built BACE API to help curb the problem.

The software uses facial recognition and artificial intelligence to verify identities remotely. It 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. While facial recognition software isn’t new, BACE API can use live images or short, five-second videos taken on phone cameras to detect whether the image is of a real person or a photo of an existing image. It then matches the picture or short video to either a pre-saved reference photo or the person’s government-issued identity documents. The process is quick, secure and efficient.

In partnership with a government service provider, BACE API has access to Ghanaian passports and identity documents to use during its verification processes. The software is already being used by a local farmer investment organization to verify their customers’ identification before paying them. N’Guessan also hopes to partner with universities to create a database that helps students who don’t have government-issued identification access financial services.