Career : Henrique Mukanda « With Itot Africa, we want to create more jobs through digital skills in DRC »
Created in 2017 by 4 Congolese students, the startup Itot Africa’s mission is to create jobs through digital skills in Africa, and in the DRC in particular. An entrepreneurial challenge told by the co-founder and director of operations, Henrique Mukanda. Portrait.
By DBM
The Congolese startup Itot Africa, a rising star on the African « Edtech » scene, has worked on more than 300 projects in five years, trained more than 2,500 people and created more than 120 jobs. An entrepreneurial adventure born in 2017 when the project holders, four young Congolese, were facing unemployment.
« Not having find a job in the DRC after our studies, we decided to find a way to sell our skills elsewhere, » says Henrique Mukanda, co-founder and director of operations of Itot Africa. He added he « discovered remote work in 2018, working initially for a Canadian company for a year, » which allowed the team of co-founders to realize that « in several countries of the world digital skills are more and more in demand.”
This is how the idea of launching a structure dedicated to EdTech applications came about and gave birth to Itot Africa, a social impact company that focuses on vocational training and job creation on the African continent with a particular emphasis on digital skills.
« I create online courses that help thousands of people in Africa and around the world to build their lives, develop their audiences and make a living from their passions through the web”
In fact, Itot Africa’s management team has the ideal profile to enter this fast-growing niche. « I am a software engineer by training, I am passionate about training and job creation in Africa, which is the mission of Itot Africa. I am also a teacher at the university, where I am in charge of 3 courses in 3 different promotions. I also create online trainings, which help thousands of people in Africa and all over the world to build their lives, develop their audiences and live from their passions thanks to the web. I have several certifications in computer security as well as in e-commerce and online business, » says the Congolese entrepreneur, who aims to « fill the digital skills gap on the African continent by offering training in cloud computing, software development, digital marketing, graphic design and online business.
« We leverage digital opportunities to provide a unique learning experience that allows everyone to access knowledge based on their needs and goals »
The current context is indeed conducive to this digital training offer. While 230 million jobs will require digital skills in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, Itot Africa wants to become the leading platform for on-demand digital training in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa by 2025, and thus train over 300 people each year in its physical academy and more than 100,000 people on its e-learning platform.
« We recruit and train teams for successful companies, we update employees’ skills. We prepare young graduates for their future professional careers, » says Henrique. We leverage the possibilities offered by digital technology to provide a unique learning experience that allows everyone to access knowledge according to their needs and goals. » And ultimately, preparing today’s African talent for tomorrow’s jobs…
To date, Itot Africa has several customers and partners, including the Congolese government, with whom the startup developed an IT solution in 2020 to help the country manage the health crisis caused by COVID-19. This work has earned Itot Africa an official letter of recognition from the Congolese Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and New Information and Communication Technologies (PTNTIC).
Find out more: https://itot.africa
