This will be the third African country of operation, after Nigeria and Kenya, and the choice comes after two years of data collection and analysis on technology ecosystems across Africa. Uganda is endowed with a vibrant, youthful generation that accounts for at least 70% of the country’s population. Most of these being born in the technology age, and having an entrepreneurial spirit in technological development, gives Andela an opportunity to equip them with the expertise they need to accelerate the advancement of their communities. The active tech atmosphere, that entails the existence of several tech hubs and incubators, is also a driving factor in the startup’s existence within Uganda. With 80% of the population workforce employed by the informal sector, which is highly impacted on by the atmosphere, Andela seeks to accelerate that growth by developing the next generation of technology leaders. The company looks out to equip brilliant and innovative minds with ideas that can provide a solution to some of the continent’s biting problems. It comes at a time when the nation’s economy is not stable, with a high rate of unemployment.
Since the very first launch in Lagos, Nigeria, the personnel have grown from a founding team of six to over 600 in three countries and two continents. The first recruitment cycle in Kampala in May yielded over 800 applicants, from which eight developers were accepted to form the first-ever Uganda cohort. Andela CEO, Jeremy Johnson says that he does not think they can fundamentally solve the unemployment issue but can rather create an example that others can look to and say ‘this is possible’. Image: Andela
