The Series of Sharing: AakiTech’s Journey Unfolds
At AakiTech, we know that building technology in Africa—for Africa—is about more than writing good code or launching sleek apps. It’s about understanding our positionality. It’s about acknowledging power. It’s about unlearning the idea that “progress” must always look like Silicon Valley. This blog is the beginning of a series—an attempt to think aloud, in public, about who we are, how we build, and most importantly, why we build the way we do.
Brighton Tandabantu
April 5, 2025
Why Tell Our Story?
Too often, African tech stories are flattened into narratives of either scarcity or saviorism: “They built this with nothing!” or “Here’s how we brought tech to the poor.” But there’s richness in the in-between. Our journey is one of experimentation, contradiction, courage, and care.
We’ve had to ask hard questions like:
- What does it mean to localize software without localizing power?
- How do we balance industry standards with culturally grounded practices?
- How do we build for resilience in a context of economic and infrastructural volatility?
This blog series is an invitation into those questions.
What to Expect
Each piece in this series will offer a window into different parts of our journey—from the technical decisions we make to the philosophical frameworks that guide them. We’ll talk about our team rituals, our approach to design, our challenges with infrastructure, and our dreams for what African tech can become.
Some entries will be messy. Some may contradict each other. That’s the point. This is a living story, written by people who are learning in real-time.
We’re not here to offer polished case studies. We’re here to open up the process and invite others into it—because transformation doesn’t come from perfection; it comes from honesty.
A Different Kind of Tech Blog
This isn’t a PR exercise. This is about showing up with intention.
Because if we want to decolonize software—not just in language, but in structure, values, and outcomes—then we have to start by decolonizing how we talk about our work. We have to resist the pressure to be apolitical, ahistorical, or purely technical.
We are proud to be building with and for African communities. And we believe that how we build matters just as much as what we build.
We hope you’ll walk with us, challenge us, and maybe even be inspired to tell your own story too.
About the Author
Brighton Tandabantu is the co-founder and CEO of AakiTech, a UCT Computer Science graduate, and a Mastercard Foundation alumnus. Growing up in rural Zimbabwe, he saw firsthand the gaps in tech accessibility. Now, he’s on a mission to bridge that gap by building impactful, scalable solutions for Africa. With experience in software development, entrepreneurship, and leadership, Brighton is passionate about leveraging technology to drive innovation and empower communities across the continent.
Follow our journey as we build Africa’s digital future.