Pioneers

7. Networks

7.1. Farida Bedwei

Farida Nana Efua Bedwei
Figure 1: Farida Nana Efua Bedwei.
Source: EJS Center (2025)

Downloadable teaching resource

Overview

Farida Nana Efua Bedwei is a Ghanaian software engineer, disability rights advocate, author, and co-founder of Logiciel Ltd., a company promoting financial inclusion through cloud-based banking software. She led the development of gKudi, a platform used by over 130 microfinance institutions across Ghana (RIE Design, 2021; Startup Guide, 2024). Since 2022, she has served as Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft’s Africa Development Center, where she focuses on extended reality and metaverse applications (Microsoft ADC, 2022; World Economic Forum, 2024).

Inspiration

Farida Bedwei’s early life was profoundly shaped by her mother, Lydia, who became her full-time caregiver after Farida was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age one. Lydia homeschooled her until age twelve, grounding their daily routine in discipline, structure, and faith. This formative environment instilled in Farida the resilience and focus that would later define her work in technology and advocacy (Chronicity Care Africa, 2023).

Farida has consistently rejected the idea that disability is a limitation. Speaking on Chronic Care Matters, she shared:

“I feel that I have made the best life that I can make with my condition or with where I am… So that has been my main aim—to show that yes, you can have a disability, live in Ghana and still be a success story.”

— Farida Bedwei (Chronicity Care Africa, 2023)

Background

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, on 6 April 1979, Farida Bedwei lived in Dominica, Grenada, the UK, and finally settled in Ghana at age nine. Due to her condition, she was homeschooled until the age of twelve. At fifteen, she completed a computer science certificate at the St. Michael Information Technology Centre in Accra—an adult-level program. She later earned a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Hertfordshire and obtained a project management qualification from GIMPA (POC Squared, 2019; Startup Guide, 2024).

Contributions

Bedwei began her career in 1999 at Soft Company Ltd., progressing to Senior Software Architect at Rancard Solutions between 2001 and 2010. In 2011, she co-founded Logiciel Ltd., where she developed gKudi, a multi-tenant SaaS banking platform tailored for microfinance institutions in Ghana (Startup Guide, 2024; RIE Design, 2021). The system enabled these institutions to serve low-income and informal-sector clients with greater efficiency.

In 2010, Bedwei authored Definition of a Miracle. This novel tells the story of Zaara, a precocious child with cerebral palsy, as she confronts cultural stigma, religious divides, and self-acceptance in Ghana. Drawing on Bedwei’s own experience, the book is a powerful narrative of resilience and identity (Caribbean Book Blog, 2010).

Cover image of Karmzah, African superheroine comic by Farida Bedwei
Figure 2: Karmzah
(Leti Arts, 2023)

In 2018, Bedwei partnered with Leti Arts to launch Karmzah, a comic-book superheroine with cerebral palsy who transforms her crutches into tools of power. The project was designed to empower children with disabilities and reshape how African media represents ability (Africanews, 2018; POC, 2019).

She frequently speaks at conferences, panels, and educational events, where she advocates for inclusive technology, accessibility, and disability representation across Africa and beyond (Startup Guide, 2024).

Feature: Inclusive Fintech for Africa

A pioneering solution in Ghana’s digital finance space, gKudi is a cloud-based microfinance platform developed by Farida Bedwei and her team at Logiciel Ltd. It was designed to meet the needs of small financial institutions serving informal markets and unbanked populations. As of 2021, it was in use by over 130 microfinance institutions across the country (RIE Design, 2021). The platform helped transform the sector through:

Enabling real-time processing and secure cloud access for efficient client service.
Supporting a multi-tenant design so institutions operate independently on one platform.
Digitizing susu, loans, and savings workflows to reduce paperwork and operational risk

This digital infrastructure bridged critical access gaps in Ghana’s financial system. By enabling micro-lenders to track credit histories, automate loan approvals, and manage accounts, gKudi proved that inclusive technology can drive both financial growth and social equity.

You can read more at the gKUDI Platform Blog (gKUDI Platform, 2025).

References and further reading

Africanews (2018) Farida Bedwei, Ghana’s disability-rights advocate speaks to Africanews. Available at: https://www.africanews.com/2018/12/04/farida-bedwei-ghana-s-disability-rights-advocate-speaks-to-africanews/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

Bedwei, F.N. (2025) Amazon Author Profile: Farida Bedwei. Available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B003HDWP50 (Accessed: 19 August 2025).

Caribbean Book Blog (2010) Definition of a Miracle by Farida Bedwei. 30 June. Available at: https://caribbeanbookblog.wordpress.com/2010/06/30/definition-of-a-miracle-by-farida-bedwei/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

Chronicity Care Africa (2023) Caregiving and living with cerebral palsy: Story of a mother and daughter – Lydia and Farida Bedwei. Available at: https://chronicitycareafrica.com/caregiving-and-living-with-cerebral-palsy-story-of-a-mother-and-daughter-lydia-and-farida-bedwei/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

EJS Center (2025) Farida Bedwei. Available at: https://ejscenter.org/ejs-amujae-leaders/farida-bedwei (Accessed: 19 August 2025).

gKUDI Platform (2013) gKUDI Micro Finance Credit Loans and Susu Management Platform. Available at: https://gkudiplatform.blogspot.com/2013/05/gkudi-micro-finance-credit-loans-and.html (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

gKUDI Platform (2025) gKUDI Platform Blog – Home. Available at: https://gkudiplatform.blogspot.com/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

Leti Arts (2023) Karmzah. Available at: https://www.letiarts.com/karmzah/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

Logiciel Ltd. Logiciel Home. Available at: https://www.logicielghana.com (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

Microsoft Africa Development Center (2022) Life at ADC: Farida Bedwei. Available at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/madc/faridabedwei (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

POC Squared (2019) Farida Bedwei: Software engineer with cerebral palsy. Available at: https://poc2.co.uk/2019/01/23/farida-bedwei-software-engineer/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

RIE Design (2021) Farida Bedwei – Inspirational Person. Available at: https://riedesign.org/inspirational-person/farida-bedwei/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

Startup Guide (2024) Farida Bedwei. Available at: https://www.startupguide.com/farida-bedwei (Accessed: 6 July 2025).

World Economic Forum (2024) Farida Bedwei. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/people/farida-bedwei/ (Accessed: 6 July 2025).