Built In Africa

Since 2010 Brighton Mukorera has worked professionally as a software developer gaining a diversity of experiences. He’s working in the telco industry, with local startups, and as a Senior Developer for a Crypto Currency exchange. We spoke with Brighton, Lead Engineer of Neno, about transitioning to game development, the state of Africa’s mobile gaming industry, and his thoughts on tech in Zimbabwe.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you?
• 1:00 – Journey into game development.
• 2:36 – What is 'Neno'?
• 3:44 – The process of building a mobile gaming app.
• 5:32 – Thoughts on Africa's gaming industry.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/brighton-mukorera-neno

Subscribe to Built In Africa today:

https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

iPF Softwares is a full-fledged software development house based in Dar es salaam, Tanzania focused on developing digital solutions that drive human behavior and engagement with the aim of helping businesses in Africa stand out in the digital world. We spoke with Grayson Julius, co-founder of iPF Softwares, about iPF’s approach to software development, the products they’ve built for their clients, and tips to be a successful developer in Africa.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you?
• 1:06 –  Building impact-driven solutions. 
• 3:55 – iPF’s approach to software development.
• 6:50 – Training the team of engineers, Scrum Masters, and UX designers.
• 8:41 –  The importance of being an ethical developer. 

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/grayson-julius-ipf-softwares

Subscribe to Built In Africa today:

https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

Standing on it’s “trust culture” mantra since 2013, DreamGalaxy TV is the #1 Multicultural streaming platform. Founded on the belief that everyone has (everything is) a story and that every story matters, the platform provides culturally relevant digital content in the form of digital stories, animations, docs, shorts, and films. We spoke with Brian Asingia, CEO of DreamGalaxy TV.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you?
• 1:01 – How DreamGalaxy TV is providing culturally relevant content.
• 3:42 – Building trust with content creators. 
• 6:10 – Building successful software solutions for Africa.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/brian-asingia-dreamgalaxytv

Subscribe to Built In Africa today:

https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

SynCommerce is a highly automated e-commerce solution that enables online merchants to manage their complete sales process across multiple marketplaces. In 2019, the SynCommerce team released its second application, OrderSenta, another e-commerce solution that allows online merchants to process and fulfill orders from multiple sales channels in one place. We spoke with Stephen Asamoah, UI/UX front-end developer at SynCommerce.

Timestamps: 

• 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 
• 1:00 – Redesigning SynCommerce. 
• 3:37 – The design process for building OrderSenta. 
• 5:24 – The benefits of UX Designers knowing how to code.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/stephen-asamoah-ordersenta  

Subscribe to Built In Africa today: https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

After becoming a remote developer and enduring the challenges of figuring it out on his own, Ahmed created remote.ma, a blog that’s all about remote working. We spoke with Ahmed EL AZZABI, Software Engineer at Automattic about his journey into tech, launching remote, and tips for remote developers.   

Timestamps: 

• 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 
• 1:04 – Ahmed's journey into tech. 
• 3:30 – Launching Remote and what attracted him to working remotely. 
• 6:45 – Life as a remote developer/ what it takes to be a remote developer in Africa.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/ahmed-el-azzabi-remote  

Subscribe to Built In Africa today: https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

African Women in Technology is an event series that was born out of the desire to connect, educate, and empower women who are determined to advance their tech careers. We spoke with Anie Akpe, founder of African Women in Technolgy, about AWIT Creaties a platform that connects creative professionals to freelance opportunities, the importance of women in tech, and more.  

Timestamps: 

• 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 
• 0:58 – African Women in Technology 
• 3:26 – What is AWIT Creative? 
• 5:35 – How a diversity of perspectives contributes to building successful tech solutions.  
• 7:40 – Anie's roadmap from those in the diaspora who want to get involved in Africa's tech ecosystem.   

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/empowering-african-women-freelancers-in-the-global-gig-economy 

Subscribe to Built In Africa today: https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

We spoke with Becky Tsadik Director of Marketing at Gebeya Inc., a Pan-African EdTech and talent Marketplace. Becky discusses creating what led her to Gebeya, Gebeya's aims to be the most trusted and reliable source of talent in Africa, and what it takes to successfully operate a Pan-African company.

Timestamps:

• 1:03: Relocating from the US to Ethiopia and joining Gebeya.
• 3:42: How Gebeya’s business model has evolved and their rigorous interview/onboarding process.
• 7:04: What goes into building a pan-African company.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/becky-tsadik-gebeya

We spoke with Seun Akanni, Front-end Software Engineer and co-founder of Retroly, an agile retrospective tool for teams with remote or co-located team members. Seun discusses creating Retroly, the role empathy played in building Retroly, and the importance of developers collaborating with UX Designers.

Timestamps:

• 1:08: The structure of Retroly: Feedback, group, voting, and resolution stage.
• 4:06: Where are Retroly’s users coming from?
• 4:45: The role empathy played in building Retroly.
• 5:40: The importance of front-end developers and UI designers collaborating.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/retroly-remote-retrospective-tool

We spoke with Kwabena Boadu, senior full stack developer at The Weather Network. Kwabena discusses the challenges of building The Weather Network's first cross-platform product Storm Centre, the importance of empathy when working with other developers, and what it takes to be a successful developer in Africa.

Timestamps:

• 1:00: Challenges him and the team faced building Storm Centre, The Weather Network’s first cross-platform application.
• 2:33: The importance of empathy when working with other engineer?
• 5:22: Why technical skills, communication, and professionalism are the key attributes of being a successful developer in Africa.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/from-offshore-to-in-house-a-senior-developer-who-moved-from-ghana-to-canada

We spoke with Vuyisile Ndlovu, a Software Developer based in Zimbabwe. Vuyisile discusses creating PyPI in a Box; a Raspberry Pi with Stack Overflow and PyPI cloned onto it. His experience as an open source developer and the value in a pan-African approach to Africa’s tech ecosystem.

Timestamps:

• 1:00: Creating PyPI in a Box to help devs gain access to tech tools without an internet connection.
• 2:52: Experience as an open source contributor to Mozilla Firefox.
• 6:10: Attending PyCon Africa and the power of pan-African tech collaboration.
• 7:30: Tips for being successful as an African dev.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/vuyisile-ndlovu-pypi

We spoke with George Madjitey co-founder of GEM Industrial Solutions a Ghanaian based commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) service delivery provider, focused on agriculture. George shares how he got from Houston to Accra, the value GEM provides to the marketplace, and the impact drone technology will have on Africa. 

Timestamps:

• 1:12: How Drone technology is benefiting Ghana’s agriculture industry.
• 2:42: Thoughts on Ghana’s commercial drone space.
• 4:36: From Houston to Accra. Tips for entrepreneurs in the diaspora moving to Africa.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/george-madjitey-gem-industrial-solutions

We spoke with Eugene Bos Digital Experience Designer at Adidas. Eugene shares the challenges of building and selling Wero, getting his job at Adidas, and what do you believe are the keys to being a successful UX designer in Africa.

Timestamps:

• 0:57: Selling his startup Wero, a donation platform for millennials.
• 2:58: Journey to becoming a Digital Experience Designer at Adidas.
• 5:24: Advice for UX designers in Africa

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/eugene-bos-wero

We spoke with Susan Were, Software Developer at Microsoft and creator of the YouTube channel Tech Space. Susan shares what led her to create Tech Space and the role Rails Girls Mombasa played, the importance of soft skills in tech, and her experience as a woman in tech.

Timestamps:

• 0:58: How the Rails Girls Mombasa community played a role in creating Tech Space.
• 2:27: How Tech Space is helping Kenyan developers with their technical and soft skills.
• 4:11: Testimony on the impact of Tech Space.
• 6:20: How joining Andela changed her perspective on being a woman in tech.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/tech-space-susan-were

We spoke with Usheninte Dangana Digital Product Manager at Nullnow Computing. Ninte shares his journey transitioning into software development, what he learned during his time at MEST Africa, and the importance of resilience as a software developer. 

Timestamps:

• 0:58: Ninte shares how he transitioned to software development.
• 2:48: How MEST Africa helped him grow as a software developer.
• 6:05:  The importance of resilience as a software developer in Africa.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/usheninte-dangana-jiditrust

LetaFood the online food delivery service based in Eldoret, Kenya, promoting local and healthy food alternatives to its users. We spoke with Marvin Collins Hosea CEO of Apps:Lab, the software development company with a vision to become the leading solution provider in Africa, about the inspiration behind LetaFood, building an online food delivery platform focused on healthy eating, and the importance of customer support.

Timestamps:

• 1:05: What led Apps:Lab to create a food delivery service.
• 3:27: How focusing on healthy and local food has impacted their business both positively and negatively.
• 5:59: The importance of customer support in tech.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/marvin-collins-letafood-kenya

Africa's Talking is a Kenyan based enterprise software company that developers access telco infrastructure with their SMS, USSD, Voice, Airtime, and Payments APIs. Since 2016, Africa’s Talking has expanded to 18 countries around Africa and supports about 5,000 businesses ranging from early-stage startups to large organizations. We spoke with Wiza Jalakasi, former International Expansion Lead about his three years at Africa’s Talking, working across different regulatory environments, and how he married his technical skills with business acumen.

Timestamps:

• 1:10: How Wiza’s tech journey started and how he got to Africa’s Talking.
• 2:38: transitioning from software development to business development.
• 5:39: Expanding Africa’s Talking to 17 African countries.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/wiza-jalakasi-africas-talking

Flutter Developers Kenya, is a community of developers, ranging from beginner to experienced professionals, interested in mobile development and using Flutter to build products. We spoke with Eric Muli, the Co-organizer of Flutter Developers Kenya, about leading a community of 500+ developers, what it takes to build a strong community, and tips for African developers. 

Timestamps:

• 1:07: Growing to 500+ developers, developing a relationship with Google’s Futtler team and GDG’s across Africa.
• 3:51: How to build a strong developer community.
• 5:48: Words of wisdom for other software developer in Africa.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/eric-muli-flutter-developers-kenya

Njaka, led by a group of programmers and tech enthusiasts, is a Silicon Mountain (Buea, Cameroon)community determined to give every African child access to the digital skills they need to build the future. We spoke with Eugen Bleck, Founder of Njaka about the journey that led him to create Njaka, leading the next generation of techies in Cameroon, and his vision

Timestamps:

• 1:10: Eugen shares how his tech journey started and what inspired him to create Njaka.
• 3:46: Njaka’s events, impact, and connection to GDG Buea.
• 6:20: The long-term vision of Njaka.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/eugen-bleck-njaka

Everwage is a payroll & HR management platform for Ghanaian companies of all sizes. Through Everwage, companies can manage their employees’ payroll, documents, attendance, and leave online. We spoke with Delali Kanda, Software Developer at Everwage, about the challenges he faced in the development process and provides tips for senior developers. 

Timestamps:

• 1:05: Why they are building a payroll and HR solution
• 2:57: The biggest challenges he faced building Everwage
• 5:15: Tips for growing as a software developer in Africa.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/everwage-payroll-hr-services

ParallelScore is a product development firm that develops, mobilizes, and deploys Nigerian engineers with proven expertise in emerging technologies such as Blockchain, AI, Machine Learning, AR/VR. We spoke with Adebayo Dawodu and Chika Umeadi about how to identify tech talent in Nigeria and tips to entrepreneurs in the diaspora tapping into Africa's startup ecosystem.

Timestamps:

• 1:10: How ParallelScore is implementing AI, IoT, machine learning, and blockchain solutions.
• 3:28: How to identify and recruit tech talent in Nigeria.
• 5:58: Tips for entrepreneurs in the diaspora considering tapping into Africa's tech ecosystem.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/parallelscore-nigeria

Global Air Drone Academy is on a mission to prepare underserved youth with STEAM education and entrepreneurship by giving a hands-on and engaging look into the emerging world of drone technology. We spoke with Austin Brown and Eno Umoh about winning The African Drone Forum, building an academy in Lagos, Nigeria, and the importance of drone training and education.

Timestamps:

• 1:08: What led Austin and Eno to start a drone education company.
• 2:33: How Global Air Drone Academy is preparing African youth for ‘STEAM’ education and entrepreneurship.
• 4:26: The impact of drone technology on Africa.
• 6:00: What’s in the future for GADA.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/global-air-drone-academy

Pink Codrs Africa is building a  network of female software developers across Africa and aims to bridge the inequality gap in tech by adding 100,000 women to the tech industry by 2030. We spoke with Mbali Hlongwane, Founder of  Pink Codrs Africa, about the impact she hopes to make, moving to Johannesburg, and Pink Codrs data science program with Kaizer Chiefs.

Timestamps:

• 1:06: Mbali share what led him to create Pink Coders Africa
• 3:44: How Pink Coders Africa is upskilling women across South Africa.
• 5:26: Pink Codrs Africa’s data science program in collaboration with Kaizer Chiefs.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/mbali-hlongwane-pink-codrs-africa

Jointify is an on-demand mentorship platform where aspiring creatives can find the perfect mentor to kickstart their business. I spoke with Souhail Kaoussi, Software Developer and Co-Founder of Jointify, about his journey to becoming a self-taught developer, what led him to create Jointify, and pivoting during COVID-19.

Timestamps:

• 1:12: Souhail’s journey to becoming a self taught developer.
• 3:23: How connected with a Nigerian entrepreneur led to the creation of Jointify.
• 5:56: How Joinifty is helping Moroccan small businesses survive the pandemic.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/souhail-kaoussi-jointify

We spoke with Ugo Ifezue, a Senior Product Designer based in Lagos, Nigeria. Starting his tech journey as a software developer, Ugo shares what led him to switch to design, how his development background serves him as a product designer, and some tips on being a successful designer in Africa.

Timestamps:

• 1:02: Ugo shares what kick started his journey to becoming a senior product designer.
• 2:48: How his software development background helps him as a product designer.
• 4:36: Tips and tricks for excelling as a UX designer/ Product Designer in Africa.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/meet-the-nigerian-product-designer-behind-this-fund-management-company

Unlocking Women and Technology, a product of iSpace Ghana, empowers women through tech and business development training. We spoke with Josiah Eyison, Co-Founder/CEO of iSpace Foundation, about UWAT, why men are equally responsible for women in tech advocacy, and how the diaspora can contribute to Africa's development. 

Timestamps:

• 1:10: Josiah share’s what led him to create iSpace Foundation
• 2:50: The story behind starting Unlocking Women and Technology
• 5:06: How UWAT will evolve over the next 3-5 years
• 7:00: How the diaspora can get involved in Africa’s tech ecosystem

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/unlocking-women-and-technology-josiah-eyison

Starting with the Nigerian vegetable oil market, Releaf is industrializing food processing in Africa with software and hardware innovation. Their proprietary hardware increases the availability and quality of raw materials, while their sourcing software connects them directly to 1000+ smallholder farmers at scale.  We spoke with Uzoma Ayogu, CTO. 

Timestamps:

• 1:07: Uzoma share how Relief is using software and property hardware to grow food factories and improve logistics.
• 3:35: Changing their initial business model after Y Combinator
• 5:23: How they go into the palm nut industry.
• 7:35: Uzo share the importance of agriculture/ Agritech.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/uzoma-ayogu-releaf

The Institute of Basic Technology is a nonprofit organization providing guidance on STEM curriculum development and support to high schools in Liberia. We spoke with Rodney Bollie founder of the Institute, about the importance of STEM education and their vision of the Institute.

Timestamps:

• 1:07: Rodney share what led him to create The Institute of Basic Technology.
• 3:38: The current state of STEM education in Liberia.
• 6:30: The impact the Institute is having on students in Liberia.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/institute-of-basic-technology-rodney-bollie

Yielding Accomplished African Women (Yaa W) is Ghana’s first finance and technology talent accelerator for women. The 12-month program consists of a 7-week intensive boot camp, 9-months of online training, and ends with a 2-month internship. We spoke with Diana Wilson, Founder of Yaa W., about what led her to create Yaa W and what it takes to be a successful professional.

Timestamps:

• 1:19: Diana share’s what led her to create Yielding Accomplished African Women (Yaa W)
• 4:20: How Yaa W is empowering women with technical, business, and professional skills.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/training-the-next-generation-of-women-in-machine-learning-closing-ghanas-digital-divide

STEMi Makers Africa is an NGO that seeks to foster employment and innovation by equipping young Africans with STEM emerging tools. We spoke with Amanda Obidike, Founder and Strategy Lead for STEMi Makers Africa, about the importance of STEM education and addressing Africa’s leaky unemployment pipeline.

Timestamps:

• 0:48: Amanda share’s her motivation for creating STEMi Makers Africa.
• 2:18: How STEMi is moving teachers from theoretical to practical teaching.
• 4:45: The importance of being a role model/ mentor.

Check out the full article
https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/amanda-obidike-stemi-makers-africa

Blossom Academy is training a new generation of African Data Scientists. We spoke with Jeph Acheampong, Blossom Academy's founder about training data scientists in machine learning and data engineering, his vision for Blossom, and more.

Timestamps:

• 0:48: What was your inspiration for creating Blossom Academy
• 2:38: Why Jeph felt called to build Blossom Academy
• 4:23: What are the 3 components of Data Science

Check out the full article 

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/blossom-academy-jeph-acheampong