PELONOMI MOILOA: ‘A 40 UNDER 40 CEO’ BUILDING AFRICA’S RESPONSIBLE AI FUTURE THROUGH LELAPA AI

Pelonomi Moiloa is championing ethical, African-centered AI through Lelapa AI, building technologies that reflect the continent’s languages, values, and future.

Africa Ai Technology Innovation Rearch Ethical approach.
Pelonomi Moiloa, Co-Founder and CEO of Lelapa AI
Pelonomi Moiloa, Co-Founder and CEO of Lelapa AI


As the Co-Founder and CEO of Lelapa AI, Pelonomi Moiloa is at the forefront of shaping Africa’s artificial intelligence landscape with a bold, inclusive, and deeply ethical approach. 

Through Lelapa AI, a pan-African research and product lab, Pelonomi is redefining what it means to build tech for and by Africans. Her mission: to ensure that the continent is not just a consumer of AI innovations but a creator of technologies grounded in local values, languages, and lived realities.

Pelonomi’s journey into AI is as unconventional as it is impactful. Trained as a biomedical engineer, she shifted from medical innovation to machine learning, driven by a desire to solve complex, systemic problems in ways that center African contexts. 

With Lelapa AI, she has assembled a team of scientists, linguists, and technologists working collaboratively to develop AI tools that prioritize cultural relevance, language equity, and social impact, pioneering projects like Vula, a multilingual AI assistant built for African users.

Under her leadership, Lelapa AI is more than a company; it’s a movement grounded in pan-African cooperation, research excellence, and tech justice. With backing from global partners and an expanding network of African collaborators, Pelonomi is carving out space for African voices in one of the most important technological revolutions of our time.

Pelonomi Moiloa is proving that innovation from Africa is not only possible, it’s powerful, and it’s here to lead.

Comments

You must be logged in to comment.