Marvel’s Black Panther movie, released in 2018, sparked renewed interest in the genre of science fiction (SF), particularly in Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism (AF) as SF subgenres that promote Black and African themes and heritage. This study delineates the similarities and differences between Afrofuturism and AF using two writings by Nnedi Okorafor to explore gender issues in AF—“Mother of Invention” (2018) and Binti (2015). Thus, the study applies a gender lens framed by feminist theories of science, technology, and ecofeminism to analyse the two fictional works and investigate how African speculative fiction portrays gender, technology, and power. Results demonstrate how literary imagination and creativity in AF is overturning gender stereotypes, changing existing gender-power dynamics, and offering a platform for reframing gender and relationships with technology. AF literature also allows the reader to envision alternative pathways for Africa’s postcrisis development and economic prosperity.
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