A Lagos-based startup, Zuri Team, said it is bridging the digital skills gap in the country by leveraging training model that has seen it empowering over 120,000 people in different aspects of software development over the past 24 months.
Co-founded in 2020 by Seyi Onifade, a Nigerian entrepreneur and software developer, Zuri Team offers highly subsidised technical training in software development and design by collaborating with companies and not-for-profits.
”Our goal is to give everyone a chance at a better life. We do this by collaborating with organisations, NGOs and individuals whose interests align with ours. These organisations sponsor participants to take part in the training. We train in both web2 and web3 spaces.
“This year alone, we have trained 60,739 people across 100+ countries. Most of our participants are from Africa. However, we have had participants from other parts of the world,” Onifade said, explaining the unique model that has seen the startup record tremendous impact over the past two years.
Read Also: FG decries unregulated use of social media, digital platforms
Zuri Team partner organisations for employment, added to the talent pool and exposed to mentorships, opportunities, and other industry programmes, which help them to continuously improve their skills.
For Onifade, the vision is simple: “To remove the barriers that many young Africans experience while acquiring life-changing technical skills that enable them to play actively and profitably in the digital economy”.
”Most of our participants face financial constraints that make it impossible for them to pay for standardised software development training that provides access to the global curriculum. So, we believe that with a training programme with little to no barrier to participation, subsidised and location-agnostic, we can play a pivotal role in democratising access to digital skills in Africa and help its young people kick-start careers in the technology industry,” he said.