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An eye-opening list of African “firsts”
Mia
Established Member

When considering “world firsts”, most people’s minds will turn to the US. But, as history will show, Africa has been leading in ground-breaking innovations and policies for centuries. Think of the science of metallurgy; while human groups in other parts of the world didn’t fully utilise metal until much later, Africans were smelting iron more than 2 000 years ago.

 

There are many more firsts that span the continent, the ages and various disciplines. Below, we take a look at some of the most recently impactful or recognisably African:

 

-Kenya all female train drivers:

Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway connecting Mombasa with Nairobi is going to be driven by the country's first all female train drivers.

 

- Liberia’s political achievements:

The West African country boasts two notable firsts that any African history buff should be familiar with: it was the continent’s first republic, having declared independence in 1847, and it’s home to Africa’s first female president, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

 

- Cameroon’s Cardiopod:

In 2012, Cameroonian engineer Arthur Zang invented the Cardiopod, a touch-screen medical tablet that enables heart examinations to be performed in remote rural areas. Results are then immediately sent to specialists who interpret them. The device, which has been validated by Cameroon’s scientific community, has the potential to save numerous lives and cut the costs of heart exams.

 

- Nigeria’s lady mechanic:

Sandra Aguebor was Nigeria’s first female mechanic. She started in her much-loved field more than thirty years ago when it wasn’t popular for women to work outside the home, let alone join a traditionally masculine workforce. Now, after decades spent building a stellar reputation, Sandra owns a number of auto-repair shops and has launched the Lady Mechanic Initiative, an agency aimed at helping West African women learn the skills needed to secure employment in the auto industry.

 

 

- Malawi’s all-female air crew:

For the first time, Malawian Airlines had an all-female flight crew on a March flight from Blantyre to Dar-es-Salaam. From the captain and cabin crew, to the control tower operators, the entire journey of the Bombardier Q400 was controlled by women. According to Malawi’s First Lady Dr Gertrude Mutharika, the flight is a symbol that Malawi is on the right track to female empowerment.

 

 Sources: ITWebAfrica.com, Study.com, LiveScience.com, Forbes.com, Wikipedia.org, GlobalTimes.cn.