Language Experts Helping You Reach the 1.5 Billion Africans

Language experts helping you reach the 1.5 billion Africans

BarrierFri was built on a simple conviction: no more barriers to any idea, vision, solution or good. Our goal is to make free movement of goods and solutions a reality in Africa.

Get a Free Quote

Meet the founder

Paul Sampo

Founder & Lead Interpreter

Paul Sampo is a trained conference interpreter, transcreator, localizer and language professional with deep, proven expertise in English–French–Portuguese interpreting at high-level diplomatic, institutional and corporate events across Africa.

Having worked with international organizations, governmental bodies and private-sector clients across East and West Africa, Paul founded BarrierFri to bring AIIC-standard language services to a continent where demand is growing rapidly and quality providers remain scarce.

A multilingual expert fluent in French, English and Portuguese, Paul heads BarrierFri’s interpretation team and remains closely involved in every major client engagement.

Certifications & Memberships: BarrierFri operates in compliance with the highest professional standards in the language services industry. Our practices are aligned with AIIC — the International Association of Conference Interpreters — guidelines.

Work with our team

Our story

Built in Kigali, for a continent that speaks every language

BarrierFri was founded in Kigali, Rwanda, and was inspired by our firsthand experience of the communication gaps that slow down African business, African development, diplomacy and poverty reduction.

Our founder, Paul Sampo, repeatedly witnessed how language and cultural barriers — left unaddressed — caused misunderstandings, eroded trust, and prevented talented people and important ideas from reaching their full potential. These barriers also prevent healthy goods and life-saving solutions from reaching the African population, which is a loss for founders, developers and consumers alike.

We started as freelance interpretation providers for regional conferences and grew into a full-spectrum linguistic solutions company serving clients across East and West Africa. Today BarrierFri operates from Kigali and Ouagadougou, with a network of qualified linguists, voice artists and technical specialists available across the continent.

We believe the future of Africa resides in reaching the 1.5 billion Africans with tested solutions, goods and services — and we are here to make that future a reality for everyone.

BarrierFri supporting a multilingual conference in Kigali

What drives us

Our mission and our vision

Our Mission

Helping startups reach 1.5 billion Africans by eliminating linguistic and cultural barriers. We do this through professional, reliable and culturally intelligent language services — empowering organizations and individuals to communicate with clarity, confidence and impact across every border.

Our Vision

A developed Africa where no tested solution or good is left unknown. Free movement of goods and solutions through the linguistic blocks of the continent.

Our values

Five commitments we hold ourselves to

Every engagement is measured against these principles — from a 5,000-word translation to a three-week international conference.

Excellence
We hold ourselves accountable to the highest professional standards in every project — from a 5,000-word translation to a three-week international conference. AIIC compliance is not a marketing claim; it is a daily practice.
Cultural Sensitivity
Language is culture in motion. We go beyond words to understand the tone, context, history and sensitivities of every audience we serve — across Francophone, Anglophone, Lusophone and indigenous African language communities.
Reliability
In high-stakes environments — diplomatic meetings, international summits and legal proceedings — there is no room for error or delay. Our clients trust us because we deliver what we promise, and promise what we can deliver.
Innovation
We embrace the technologies reshaping our industry — RSI platforms, CAT tools, cloud-based project management — while maintaining the irreplaceable human touch and expertise that quality professional language work requires.
Client Partnership
We do not just complete projects — we engage you and build relationships. Our most valued clients see us as a long-term language partner, not a vendor. We invest in understanding your sector, your voice and your goals.