From unicorns aiming for world domination to small township startups looking to make a difference in women’s lives, Africa is replete with innovators. It has the youngest population of any continent in the world, with about 60% of Africans under the age of 25. Add to that the fact that smartphone penetration is rising as countries become increasingly connected, and you have a surefire recipe for creativity.
Now, the big guns are moving in. Jack Dorsey, whose company, Twitter, is setting up shop in Ghana, believes “Africa will define the future.” Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma estimates that African entrepreneurs will drive the next digital revolution. In today’s Daily Dose, we’ll introduce you to some of the most fascinating movers and shakers the continent has to offer. Get ready for some Afri-nnovation!
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Andela
Iyinoluwa Aboyeji has been involved in just about every major unicorn to come out of Africa after becoming “hooked on tech” having watched The Social Network. Before he founded Future Africa in 2015, which funds and mentors innovators across the continent, Nigerian entrepreneur Aboyeji was at Flutterwave. And before that? He co-founded his first startup, Andela. Now headquartered in the U.S., Andela has offices in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, where it works to combat America’s tech worker shortage by training African software developers and placing them with U.S. firms remotely. This effort to train more people in tech will also help bridge what the World Economic Forum says is a huge digital divide. Andela, which won early seed money from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, boasts a huge network of freelancers that serves about 200 firms.
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