Our Story
African Ancestry is a company that helps expand the way Black people view themselves and the way they view Africa!
23 Years and Counting
Dr. Gina Paige and Dr. Rick Kittles co-founded AfricanAncestry.com in February 2003 and in doing so changed the world! For the first time in history, Black people were empowered to accurately and confidently discover their African roots using the one thing that couldn't be displaced – their DNA. Using its African Lineage Database – the industry's largest – they delivered a level of specificity that honored every lineage.
African Ancestry has since connected more than one million people with their present-day African countries and ethnic groups of origin with unrivaled specificity and detail. A Black-owned, woman-led enterprise, African Ancestry is the leading provider of online single lineage ancestry testing for Black consumers and remains passionate about transforming the way Black communities across the Diaspora view themselves and Africa.
Meet the Founders
Dr. Gina Paige
Co-founder & President
Industry Pioneer, Speaker, Entrepreneur
Country of Origin: Nigeria
Tribes: Hausa & Fulani
A respected cultural influencer and Ancestor Storyteller across the world, Dr. Gina Paige has guided thousands of people, brands, and leaders with her expertise. She counts Chadwick Boseman's ancestral reveal and creating a path to Sierra Leonean citizenship for AfricanAncestry.com families among her proudest achievements. She credits a family lineage of entrepreneurs and her love of Black people for the success of African Ancestry.
Dr. Rick Kittles
Co-founder & Scientific Director
Industry Pioneer, Leading geneticist, Entrepreneur, Speaker
Country of Origin: Senegal, Nigeria
Tribes: Mandinka & Hausa
Dr. Rick Kittles is the Co-founder and Scientific Director of African Ancestry. Through decades of research on genetic variation and the movements of African people throughout the world, he helped conceive AfricanAncestry.com. Under his leadership the company pioneered a new marketplace for Black people seeking to know their African roots and has grown into the leading provider of at-home genetic ancestry tests for people of African descent worldwide.