Kennedy Ekezie : the Entrepreneur reinventing training
The son of teachers, Kennedy Ekezie was introduced early on to the challenge of education in Africa. After contributing to TikTok's development strategy in Africa and co-creating Kippa, he launched Consize, a learning management system based on messaging that makes learning accessible by meeting learners where they are.
The son of teachers, Kennedy Ekezie has always been driven by a clear vision: making education accessible to all. « I was born in a small town in southern Nigeria. A university town because my parents were teachers. So, I spent most of my childhood and teenage years in this university town. »
Kennedy began his academic journey there. He started by studying philosophy at the University of Calabar. Very quickly, he showed exceptional abilities, becoming the youngest student in his program. He was also designated the best debater in Nigeria for two consecutive years.
I sought to identify a problem to which I could bring a solution
Before going on to pursue his studies in China thanks to a Yenching scholarship at Peking University, where he studied economics. « And I spent a year, while living in China, working for TikTok. » He led the growth for TikTok’s expansion in Africa. This experience allowed him to understand the dynamics of a global tech company and acquire valuable skills for his entrepreneurial future.
In 2020, when the pandemic hit, Kennedy returned to Nigeria with an irrepressible desire to become an entrepreneur. « I knew I wanted to become an entrepreneur when I came back. But without a precise idea at first. So, I sought to identify a problem to which I could bring a solution. » Along with others, he created KIPPA, a financial management app for small businesses. It quickly found success, serving 850,000 businesses and raising over $12 million in funding.
Technology allows us to train people who would not have had access to training without technology
Meanwhile, Kennedy wanted to tackle an even bigger challenge: accessibility to education. This is how the idea of Consize was born. « While working on our previous company, one of the things we had to do was train merchants, Nigerian small businesses. Most of them are semi-illiterate or illiterate. And we trained them on how to use our app, how to run their businesses. And it was very difficult, » he recalls.
Consize aims to make learning accessible by using messaging tools like WhatsApp, SMS, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. « Our app is a training management system that allows organizations to train people using messaging applications. So, WhatsApp, SMS, Email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, whatever you use, » explains Kennedy. « For learners, you receive micro-training courses in 10 minutes a day. »
Kennedy sees technology as an essential lever to overcome educational barriers in Africa. « I think technology is not the solution. It must be combined with things like good teachers, learning infrastructure, well-equipped schools. But I think technology is a catalyst, » he states. « It allows us to train people who would not have had access to training without technology. »
For Kennedy Ekezie, the future is clear: « We want our product to work for banks, aeronautics companies, hospitality companies that need to train their employees, organizations like the Red Cross, for example, that need to train workers online. We want it to work for everyone, » without being limited to Africa. « We are developing a platform for companies all over the world, » Kennedy emphasizes.
A remarkable and noted journey. Kennedy has notably won the Queen’s Young Leader Award and the Young African Leaders Fellowship.
