Fadima Diawara is Making Affordable Smartphones Built for African Needs

She is best known as the founder and CEO of Kunfabo, a smartphone company that produces affordable, Africa-focused mobile phones.

 

Her goal is to bridge the digital gap on the continent by making smart technology more accessible and relevant to the everyday lives of African people.

Born in the town of Lola in southeastern Guinea, Fadima started her education in law at the University General Lansana Conté of Conakry.

 

Later, she moved to Spain, where she studied administrative management and accounting.

 

While living and working in Europe, she noticed the lack of technology tailored to African realities.

 

This experience shaped her vision and gave her the motivation to return to her roots and build something that would directly serve her community and others across Africa.

In 2016, she launched Kunfabo, which means “to stay in touch” in Malinké, one of the local languages spoken in Guinea.

 

Kunfabo smartphones are not only affordable, but they also come with pre-installed apps designed to meet the needs of African users.

 

For example, the “Find Me” app helps people locate nearby hospitals, schools, and pharmacies, while “Afro Cook” offers users access to African recipes and promotes local food culture.

 

Through Kunfabo, Fadima is showing that African tech solutions can be homegrown and still meet global standards.

Her mission is deeply rooted in promoting inclusive digital access and showing young Africans—especially women—that they can be leaders in the tech space. 

 

She believes that development in Africa must be driven by innovation, entrepreneurship, and local solutions.

 

By creating a company like Kunfabo, she is helping shift the narrative from Africa being a consumer of global technology to being a producer of its own tools and services.

Fadima has received several awards and recognition for her work. In 2020, she was honored in Spain as the most original startup of the year and was also named the best entrepreneur in the city of Girona.

 

Her efforts have attracted media attention in both Africa and Europe, and she has been invited to speak at international forums, including TED Talks, where she presented on the topic of women and technology in Africa.

In addition to her business work, she was appointed in February 2023 as a board member of the Agricultural Development Fund (FODA) in Guinea.

 

This position allows her to contribute to national strategies for agricultural development, which is another area she is passionate about, knowing that agriculture plays a key role in Africa’s future.

Fadima Diawara represents a new generation of African innovators who are committed to using technology as a tool for empowerment and development. 

 

Her work continues to inspire many across the continent, and her story is a clear example of how one idea, backed by vision and persistence, can help shape a better future for Africa.