Meet Lewis Erhabor, techpreneur revolutionising talent management

For many companies, finding and managing the right talent remains a major challenge. Lewis Erhabor, a co-founder of Haya AI, is stepping in with innovative technological solutions designed to transform how firms approach hiring and workforce management.

Erhabor, a technology entrepreneur, previously co-founded KudiVA with Kennedy Obinugwu. KudiVA is an outsourcing platform that connects companies with skilled virtual assistants. While growing that business, the pair recruited for multiple roles and quickly realised the inefficiencies inherent in traditional hiring processes.

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“Most applications were coming through emails or Google Forms, and we had to manually review hundreds of resumes. That experience exposed a major gap in hiring infrastructure, which eventually led us to build Haya AI,” Erhabor said.

Modernising recruitment infrastructure

According to Erhabor, Haya AI operates in the human resources technology and recruitment infrastructure space. The platform helps companies modernise their hiring processes by providing a centralised dashboard where they can post jobs, create dedicated career pages, and manage applications.

The inspiration for the venture stemmed from the difficulties faced at KudiVA, where managing hundreds of email applications became untenable. Every resume had to be opened individually, sorted manually, and tracked across spreadsheets.

“As we researched further, we realised something surprising: approximately 85–90 per cent of job postings across Nigeria and much of Africa still collect resumes through email or Google Forms,” Erhabor noted. He added that this manual approach often leads to “candidate ghosting,” as it becomes nearly impossible for recruiters to respond to every applicant.

Scaling through automation and simplicity

The growth of Haya AI has been encouraging since its inception. What began as an internal tool to solve personal hiring challenges has evolved into a comprehensive platform. The company has continued to enhance its offering with features such as AI-powered resume grading, centralised hiring dashboards, and structured candidate tracking.

Erhabor emphasised that businesses are increasingly aware that traditional hiring via email is not scalable. He identified the complexity and high cost of existing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) as a significant barrier for many firms.

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“Most [existing systems] were designed for large corporations and often have complex interfaces that recruiters struggle to navigate. Haya AI focuses on solving three key problems: automation, simplicity, and accessibility,” he explained.

Driving efficiency in a volatile economy

In a challenging economic environment, Erhabor believes efficiency is paramount. His strategy to mitigate the impact of surging inflation includes maintaining lean operations, focusing on scalable technology, and delivering strong value to clients.

“By building software that automates tasks that normally take hours of manual work, we help companies reduce hiring costs and improve efficiency, which becomes even more valuable during inflationary periods,” he said.

Erhabor views Nigeria as one of Africa’s most vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems but notes that many industries still rely on manual workflows. This presents a major opportunity for technology-driven solutions. His expansion plans include establishing Haya AI as a leading hiring infrastructure platform in Africa and entering multiple regional markets through partnerships with recruitment agencies and HR professionals.

Shifting the recruitment mindset

One of the primary challenges for the business has been changing entrenched hiring habits. Many companies are accustomed to collecting resumes via email, and transitioning to a structured platform requires a shift in mindset.

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To address this, Erhabor focuses on demonstrating tangible value. Once companies experience the time saved through centralised dashboards, automated resume ranking, and streamlined communication, the necessity of a structured platform becomes clear.

To young entrepreneurs, Erhabor counsels building solutions around real-world problems they have experienced personally.