From fintech to coding to ed-tech, African entrepreneurs are attracting huge capital from international investors — and the numbers are growing significantly year on year.
The need for virtual banking and digital learning during the pandemic made start-ups on the continent launch new Covid-related offerings, especially in the tech, education, and health sectors (ed-tech and e-health), and this attracted them to raising huge amounts of foreign capital.
Among the businesses that were launched to respond to the pandemic as most processes shifted online is aptLearn – an e-learning platform that provides a broad course library covering today’s most in-demand digital skills needed to compete globally through a well-detailed user-friendly dashboard.
Since its launch in 2022, aptLearn has provided professional certifications to individuals at a fraction of the cost, time, and at any location of choice.
Driven by a mission to improve lives through learning, aptLearn aims to continually expand the African tech space, positioning more youths in the field and allowing them to thrive, benefit, and stand out in the fast-evolving tech ecosystem.
“Daily, there is a spread of technological awareness among young people, with many considering a tech career,” said Abdulganiyy Olaniyan, chief technology officer, aptLearn.
“This fervour post-pandemic has accelerated the demand for up-skilling. Both students and working professionals are now turning towards ed-tech platforms to either acquire new skills or re-skill to become future-ready,” Olaniyan said.
He noted that since aptLearn pivoted in March, it has built a user base of about 40,000 people, with a 35percent monthly growth.
According to him, the freemium model is the key driver of the growth, noting it has influenced thousands of youths to sign up on the platform.
Providing empowering and resourceful courses, proffering job opportunities, and mentoring newbies in the tech space, aptLearn has not stopped at achieving its mission with these numerous initiatives, which in turn contributed to its growth and reputation.
Currently, over 30,000 tech enthusiasts from 13 countries across the globe have turned to and benefited from aptLearn since its launch.
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It has sponsored over 6,000 creative and dedicated young talents with scholarships on web development, with an ambitious plan to do more in various niches in years to come.
aptLearn has also taken up the responsibility to help new techies solve their most encountered challenges faced in breaking into the tech space by organizing internship programs, and negotiating and partnering with technological hubs and like-minds in providing mentorship sessions, free data, and laptops at a huge reduction cost.
With a fully committed team and ever-growing community, aptLearn will continue to contribute to the African tech ecosystem, and the world at large.
Responding to a question on the most demanded course on its learning platform, Olaniyan noted that frontend web development has remained the most demanded course.
He added that it is a field that allows developers to apply their creativity in overcoming code challenges and developing fascinating websites, noting that it has a wide range of job opportunities.
On the belief on why coding is seen as the most important thing in getting a career in tech, Olaniyan said, “Truly, it has been drilled into our minds that if you want to go into tech, you have to learn to code. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it leaves the non-technical people uncertain of what to do.”
“Although the massive demand for software developers as coders in the layout market is increasing week in and week out, you are also employable learning certain tech skills aside from coding.”
“There are jobs in the tech ecosystem that don’t require you to know how to code or develop software such as UI/UX Design, project and product management, technical writing, marketing and sales, software and game testing, system admin, and general IT roles. In essence, tech companies aren’t just hiring technical people, they’re also hiring for non-technical roles.”
“The next frontier, our focus, should be food-tech, med-tech, and ed-tech. And what we’re building at aptLearn is a step forward in the right direction. ed-tech is no longer the future, it is the now,” he added.
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