Herman Kojo Chinery-Hesse, one of Africa's most respected tech pioneers, passed away on Monday, September 16, 2024, following a cardiac arrest.

He was 61 years old.

Chinery-Hesse was the founder and Chairman of SoFTribe, a leading software development firm based in Ghana and West Africa.

Recently, Google recognized his contributions to the tech space by naming one of its meeting rooms after him.

Chinery-Hesse had been living and working in Sierra Leone for several years.

The BBC once described him as 'The Bill Gates of Africa' for his outstanding contributions to the continent's software engineering landscape.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1963, he made significant strides in the tech industry over the decades.

His company, SoFTribe, pioneered groundbreaking products such as government payroll systems, nationwide utility billing systems, security alert systems, and ERP systems, among others.

He was an alumnus of Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast, Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, and Texas State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Technology.

Chinery-Hesse leaves behind a legacy as one of Africa’s most influential figures in the technology landscape.

Meanwhile, friends, family, and sympathizers have taken to social media to express their condolences.