Meta Awards $200,000 to 12 African AI Startups Driving Innovation Across the Continent

Meta has announced 12 groundbreaking African startups from Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa as winners of its Llama Impact Accelerator 2025, awarding a combined $200,000 to advance artificial intelligence (AI) innovation across key sectors.

The announcement marks the conclusion of a six-week accelerator programme that brought together 40 startups leveraging Meta’s open-source Llama large language model (LLM) to tackle pressing regional challenges in healthcare, education, agriculture, and public services.

Selected from over 1,400 applications, the finalists showcased their AI-driven solutions during Demo Day events held in each participating country. Three startups from each nation emerged as winners, taking home funding of $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000 for first, second, and third place respectively.

Empowering Africa’s AI Future

Balkissa Ide Siddo, Meta’s Director for Public Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa, praised the startups for their innovation and impact.

“The Meta Llama Impact Accelerator 2025 has been instrumental in fostering a new wave of AI innovation across Sub-Saharan Africa, in close collaboration with national ministries and local partners,” Siddo said. “We are incredibly proud of the solutions developed by these startups, which demonstrate the immense potential of AI to address critical challenges in healthcare, education, agriculture, public services, and public safety within their communities and beyond.”

The initiative aligns with Meta’s broader strategy to democratise access to AI, empowering developers and entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy Llama models to create localised, high-impact technologies.

Meet the Winners: Africa’s Next Wave of AI Trailblazers

The 12 winners represent a diverse mix of innovations, from AI-powered healthcare systems and digital learning tools to agri-tech marketplaces and legal tech solutions.

Nigeria

• 1st Place ($25,000): MARMAR – A health-tech pioneer building an AI-native electronic medical record and mobile platform to eliminate medication errors in hospitals and homes.

• 2nd Place ($15,000): Purple Labs – Developer of MediSync, an advanced AI-powered diagnostic tool aimed at transforming patient care.

• 3rd Place ($10,000): DAWN AI Study – An ed-tech platform redefining inclusive learning through early assessment and emotional-cognitive AI tools.

Kenya

• 1st Place ($25,000): DPE – A public health startup enhancing community communication through AI-driven localised health campaigns.

• 2nd Place ($15,000): Esheria Ventures – Creator of Kenya’s first multilingual “digital paralegal” to improve legal accessibility.

• 3rd Place ($10,000): Neural Labs Africa – Providing AI-powered teleradiology tools to close diagnostic gaps in healthcare.

Senegal

• 1st Place ($25,000): Kajou – Delivering offline, AI-powered e-learning modules for community health workers via its kSANTÉ platform.

• 2nd Place ($15,000): SamaCoach – A wellness platform using AI to promote public health through fitness and personalised wellbeing programmes.

• 3rd Place ($10,000): LOOKA Research – A market intelligence platform applying AI to generate critical business insights across Africa.

South Africa

• 1st Place ($25,000): eFama – An agri-tech marketplace connecting small-scale farmers with buyers through an AI-powered pricing and logistics engine.

• 2nd Place ($15,000): CatalyzU – A workforce development startup aligning employee skills and training with business goals using AI.

• 3rd Place ($10,000): Four Minute Medicine – A healthcare training platform using AI simulations and microlearning to reduce medical errors.

Beyond Funding: What Lies Ahead for the Founders

The journey doesn’t end here for these innovators. The four first-place winners: MARMAR, DPE, Kajou, and eFama will represent Africa at the AI Summit 2025 in Dubai, where they will compete for an additional $100,000 regional funding pool and global exposure.

Meta has also pledged six months of post-programme support for all 40 startups in the cohort. This includes business advisory, technical mentorship, access to Meta’s AI tools, and introductions to investors and industry experts to help scale their impact.

Run in collaboration with national innovation agencies, including Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Llama Impact Accelerator underscores Meta’s long-term commitment to nurturing Africa’s AI ecosystem.

As these startups move forward, they carry not only vital seed funding but also the validation and backing of a global technology leader poised to redefine the continent’s digital future through responsible and inclusive AI innovation.