Denis Opudo
Seni Sulyman, a software entrepreneur from Nigeria narrated his story. He said that he used to follow her mother to work at the Federal Airports Authority. Being a son of a civil engineer, he developed an interest in engineering discipline. He noted that back in 2010, the use of mobile phone in Nigeria was still very low. At around mid-2012, mobile became the main the form of communication in the country. Before he left the country for further studies, he wanted to taste how mobile companies ease communication. This triggered his idea in engineering and purported to join the industry to make future devices.
In 2012, he completed his double degree program in Electrical and electronic engineering. He obtained the bachelor degree from the University of Benin. Like most graduates in the continent, he tried out his luck in entrepreneurship ventures. This was as a result of huge unemployment rate among youths in Nigeria. November 2014, he partnered with Happy Money and CA to start an edtech company.
The company so far has branches in Kenya and Uganda besides Nigeria. The main mandate of the startup is to provide tech programs training in Africa. The company curriculum constitutes of six-month practical engagement with tech companies. This enables students to gain real-life expertise from authoritative institutions including. The startup recently injected additional players such as Microsoft, Udacity, and IBM. After completion of the training program, the startup graduates secure contracted employees’ opportunities.
He believed that Africa has the capacity and manpower to build the future generation. He emphasized that the continent is projected to double its population by 2050. Being the most populated continent, Africa has a lot of manpower opportunities. Despite 2.4% economic growth in 2017 in African economies, unemployment crisis persists. The menace revolves around total unemployment, poor working conditions, and vulnerable jobs. Andela startup raised $81 million investment fund. The venture capital came from Google Ventures, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative among others capitalists.
