A constant feature of discussions within business circles is the fact that Africa is indeed blessed with talents. However, how to harness this and structure appropriately on the part to economic dominance appears to be one struggle the continent continues to battle with.
One factor that could largely contribute to this is capacity building. And one young African who is making giant strides in this regard appears to be Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph. A young Nigerian making giant strides in the tech space.
He is the co-founder and CEO of Africave, a technology talent company that connects global companies with tech talents and elite software engineering quickly and efficiently helping such companies scale their hiring, inclusion and engineering efforts at a fraction of current costs.
He is the first Nigerian recipient of the Yenching Scholarship which is dubbed the “Chinese Rhodes Scholarship” (so competitive that it has a 2.7% acceptance rate) to pursue a fully-funded Master’s of Economics Degree at China’s premier University.
He led TikTok’s (the world’s most valuable startup) entry into Africa, a placement which he credits with the inspiration to build Africave. Today, he is leading the Africave team to connect young tech talents in Africa with global brands by building their capacity.
In 2017, Ekezie was named one of the top 30 global teen leaders being nurtured by the flagship We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) program called Three Dot Dash, sponsored by SAP. The program named after the hit song written for pop group Sister Sledge in the 1970s, WAFF promotes the vision of a global family through programs that nurture and mentor visionary young people who are changing the world positively.
Kennedy was awarded and personally recognized by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England, PM Theresa May, Sir John Major (Former British PM), David Beckham, Caroline Kennedy (John F. Kennedy’s daughter & US Ambassador), and Nile Rodgers.
He also won President Obama’s Young African Leaders Fellowship and the Resolution Fellowship. He is a One Young World Ambassador and presented a keynote at the United Nations Youth Assembly and 2 TEDx talks. In 2017, Kennedy was named one of the Top 30 Teen Leaders in the World by WAFF.
