Using AI, these 5 African startups make assistive tech more accessible

Assistive technology in Africa has long been expensive, hard to maintain, and poorly suited to local needs. Screen readers can cost thousands of dollars, prosthetics, tens of thousands more, and spare parts often have to be shipped from abroad. Local technicians are rarely trained to repair devices, and software struggles with local languages, leaving many tools unusable for the people who need them most.

For millions of Africans with disabilities, this has meant exclusion by design.

That is starting to change. A new generation of African startups is designing assistive technology from the ground up, using AI to make devices smarter, more adaptive, and easier to use. AI helps improve text-to-speech and translation for local languages, customise prosthetics and mobility aids, and deliver real-time feedback for users. The market, valued at $523 million in 2023 and expected to reach $1.076 billion by 2030, is growing fast. These locally designed solutions are more affordable and often outperform imported devices.

This is about more than products. It is about local innovation, economic independence, and reshaping who drives Africa’s technological future. Here are five startups leading the transformation.

Cure Bionics (Tunisia)

Cure Bionics built the Hannibal Hand—an AI-powered, 3D-printed bionic arm that uses myoelectric sensors to read muscle signals and learns from user behavior. Users

train with the prosthetic through a VR app called Myo Link, making the process gamified and accessible. The device delivers tactile feedback and charges via solar panels, crucial for regions with unreliable electricity.

Founded in 2018 by Mohamed Dhaouafi, Cure Bionics has recognition from Forbes 30 Under 30, MIT Innovators Under 35, and other major programs. By combining

local manufacturing with AI-driven personalisation, they’re bringing prosthetic costs down to around US$8,000, a fraction of traditional alternatives which go for US $50,000.

The company has secured over $75,000 in funding through a mix of grants and accelerator programs including the Tony Elumelu Foundation, European Investment Bank, the PHI Science Institute, Investing in Innovation (i3), Qualcomm’s Make in Africa program, and the Remarkable Accelerator.

Vinsighte (Nigeria)

Vinsighte (Visis) is a Nigerian EdTech startup giving visually impaired persons access to education through its Visis app, which uses AI-powered OCR  (Optical Character Recognition) to scan text and read it aloud. Unlike conventional screen readers, it is built for African contexts, handling local accents and multiple languages.

Founded in 2020 by Oluwatomisin Kolawole and Oyolola Caleb, the company began by deploying 35 units across eight schools, reaching over 5,000 learners. It now says its technology has touched more than 15,000 people in Nigeria. Vinsighte combines hardware with affordable subscriptions, making it accessible to schools that cannot afford costly imports.

The startup has drawn support from the ₦1 million Art of Technology grant, the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, Orange Corners, MIT Solve [ED], Starta, Gener8tor, and CcHub. It reports generating more than $165,000 in revenue, and in 2023 was featured by the Paris Peace Forum as an impact project showcasing inclusive education technology from Africa.

Signvrse (Kenya)

Signvrse is a Kenyan startup rethinking how deaf communities access information. Its core product, Terp 360, turns spoken or written words into sign language using AI-driven motion capture and hyper-realistic avatars.

The company was founded in 2020 by Elly Savatia, who first took it through Innovate Now, Africa’s assistive-tech accelerator. Since then, Signvrse has picked up a Presidential Innovation Award, joined the Google.org Accelerator on Generative AI, and bagged $25,000 as a global finalist at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup. Today, Terp 360 is being piloted in classrooms and government portals across East Africa, with over 8,000 hours of testing already logged.

Hope Tech Plus – Kenya

Hope Tech Plus is a Kenyan startup developing assistive technology to enhance mobility for visually impaired individuals. Its flagship product, The Sixth Sense, is a wearable device that uses sonar and haptic feedback to detect obstacles, providing users with real-time spatial awareness.

The company was founded in 2017 by Brian Mwenda, an electrical engineering graduate who was inspired by his relationships with visually impaired friends to create solutions that reduce barriers for them.

Hope Tech Plus has received support from the Innovate Now Accelerator, Africa’s first assistive technology innovation ecosystem and startup accelerator. The company has also been recognised with the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.

The Sixth Sense has been funded through bootstrap investment and contributions from friends and family. As of 2024, Hope Tech Plus is planning its first funding round to further scale its operations.

HearX Group (South Africa)

HearX Group transformed hearing healthcare with an AI-powered smartphone audiometer that enables hearing tests anywhere, plus over-the-counter hearing aids that users control via app. Traditional hearing aids cost $5,000+ per pair and require multiple clinical visits, putting them out of reach for most Africans.

Founded by Nic Klopper and team, HearX’s hearing aids are priced at around $999 per pair about one-fifth of traditional devices and let users self-calibrate with real-time adjustments and remote audiologist support. By 2023, HearX had logged $58 million in sales, raised nearly $60 million in funding, and won a Startup Award at SAVCA, plus initial grant support from the Assistive Technology Impact Fund.

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