In a world where opportunities often feel limited, Boluwatife Oluwafemi is on a mission to change the narrative. As the Founder and CEO of Uptick Talent, Boluwatife is addressing a critical gap in education and workforce readiness across Africa. With less than 10% of Nigerian graduates securing jobs after completing their education, and a rapidly growing $3 billion African e-learning market, he sees an urgent need—and an immense opportunity—to equip students and professionals with the skills they need to thrive.
In this EdTech Mentor conversation, hosted by Laureano Díaz, CSO of 27zero, Boluwatife shares his vision for a more connected, skill-ready Africa. From bridging the gap between academic curricula and industry needs, to creating tailored, data-driven learning experiences, his work aims to tranform how talent is nurtured across the continent.
Thank you, Laureano, for this opportunity. I was born and raised in Nigeria, where I currently reside. I used to live in Ibadan, the largest city in Nigeria by geographical area. My background is rooted in venture building and venture scouting. I've worked extensively as a founder and with founders, helping them get their companies off the ground. My work intersects with teams, talent, and bridging opportunities. This hands-on experience showed me the gap between individuals who are exceptionally talented and those who lack the opportunities to pursue the right career paths. That realization inspired me to enter the EdTech space and dedicate my career to supporting founders.
There are two key aspects to consider. First, education is a foundational tool for building meaningful lives. Growing up in a family that prioritized education instilled in me the importance of learning, mentorship, guidance, and acquiring the skills necessary to navigate life effectively.
Second, combining education with technology creates a powerful synergy. Technology, as a tool to improve lives, becomes even more impactful when paired with education. This combination creates incredible opportunities to democratize learning, guide individuals toward the right career paths, and provide access to opportunities in the workforce or support the pursuit of personal passions.
Definitely. Let me take you back a bit. The tech ecosystem in Nigeria really began to take shape around 2012 or 2013, with the rise of companies that are now unicorns, such as Andela. Andela, one of Africa’s foremost EdTech companies, is now valued at around $1.5 billion. Around 2015, Paystack became the first Nigerian company to enter Y Combinator, which was a significant milestone. Paystack was later acquired by Stripe for $200 million.
A key catalyst for this growth was Co-Creation Hub, a private innovation center in Lagos that became the heart of the Nigerian tech ecosystem. It brought together innovators and provided a collaborative space for startups like Flutterwave ($3 billion valuation), Paystack, and PiggyVest. The hub’s impact is immense, fostering mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities that have fueled the tech boom in Nigeria.
Co-Creation Hub is a private company, led by Bosun Tijani, who is now Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. It’s essentially a community-driven hub that has connected people, helped bridge opportunities, and sparked innovation. It’s been pivotal for Nigeria’s ecosystem, enabling startups and empowering individuals to learn coding and work for international tech companies through programs like those offered by Andela.
That’s a great question. First and foremost, Nigeria is the most populous Black nation in the world, with about 230 million people. This means we have an enormous talent pool. Some of the best tech talents globally are Nigerian, which has been recognized by leaders like GitHub co-founder Nat Friedman. Talent is a major strength, and that’s where Uptick Talent comes in.
Nigeria’s growing population is another asset. Within two decades, our population is expected to surpass that of the United States, and by 2050, Africa as a whole will have the largest labor force globally. This creates opportunities for innovation and expansion. Additionally, Nigeria’s middle class is growing, making it an attractive market for companies looking to scale their products and services.
We also have thriving cities like Lagos, the tech capital of Africa, and Abuja. These are some of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Nigeria’s startup ecosystem, combined with increasing technological innovation, makes it a fertile ground for investment. Similar to how China transformed over the last 30–40 years, Nigeria has the potential to achieve remarkable economic growth by investing in infrastructure, technology, and exportable talent.
Thank you for the question. My background involves business development for various startups, especially as the Principal Consultant for Annikedel, the company I started five years ago. I’ve worked with multiple startups across Africa and internationally, helping founders get their businesses off the ground.
One consistent challenge I observed was how difficult it is for startups to find the right teams to grow their companies. Even with substantial capital available, they struggled to recruit suitable talent. This revealed a critical gap between education, training, and the skills needed by industries.
For instance, students spend at least four years in traditional universities, only to find that what they’ve studied doesn’t align with the jobs they are expected to take. This recurring challenge introduced me to the world of talent-related issues, particularly in Africa.
About three years ago, I served as a venture builder for an EdTech startup in Nigeria. I helped them grow from three to 15 employees and secure funding from international investors. Eventually, the founder invited me to join the company as Head of Strategy, giving me firsthand experience with the EdTech space and the challenges faced by students and talent in Nigeria.
This experience, combined with my work supporting startups, inspired me to create Uptick Talent. Our mission is to help students—from secondary school through university—and even career-seeking individuals tackle the challenges of their careers. We’re building a platform tailored to the African context, starting with grassroots efforts.
We run various programs designed to address specific challenges faced by students and talent. Career challenges, as we see them, are lifelong and occur at different stages. In Nigeria, fewer than 10% of college graduates secure meaningful employment within four years of completing their education.
This stems from several issues: poor career guidance, lack of experience, limited mentorship, insufficient soft skills, and inadequate exposure to opportunities and resources. Unemployment rates in Nigeria hover around 30%, highlighting a severe disconnect between academia and industry.
For secondary school students, we aim to address these challenges early. Traditional approaches often focus solely on tech careers, neglecting fields like business. Curricula are inflexible, failing to address gaps in students' needs.
Our approach begins at the grassroots, ensuring we cater to diverse fields and learning preferences. We provide tailored content, mentorship, and career-focused programs. For example, we offer short courses on financial modeling, corporate finance, and traditional banking to students specializing in business.
Students gain access to mentors working in top-tier industries like fintech, banks, and insurance companies. Additionally, we use AI-generated simulations to provide practical exposure and insights into real-world applications. Through this holistic approach, we’re helping students make informed decisions about their career paths while building the skills they need to succeed.
Resilient learning focuses on ensuring continuity in an individual’s educational journey, adapting to their unique needs and preferences at different stages of life.
For example, some people learn better through videos, while others prefer mentorship, hands-on experiences, or community-driven environments. Resilient learning creates a framework that accommodates these diverse preferences, providing incremental and sustainable growth in learning.
The word "uptick" itself reflects this idea of incremental improvement. We integrate this concept into our initiatives by offering tailored support at every stage of a learner’s journey, ensuring they have access to the resources, mentorship, and tools they need to progress.
For secondary schools and beyond, our platform—CDRL (Career Development and Resilient Learning)—enables schools to onboard students, bridging the gap between academic education and industry requirements.
Students and career-seekers gain access to tailored courses, career-focused videos, psychometric tests to guide career exploration, and AI-based simulations for skill-building. These resources help individuals master soft skills, workplace culture, and cross-cultural understanding while offering exposure to global opportunities.
Our ultimate goal is to empower students with the tools and guidance they need to thrive in their careers, addressing challenges like unemployment and the disconnect between education and industry.
We base our decisions on direct interactions with students. We’re very customer-focused. Uptick Talent has already run two fellowships, engaging over 500 students across several African countries. Through these interactions, we’ve gathered insights into their needs, identifying gaps and opportunities to create relevant solutions and short courses. Our approach is entirely data-driven. We continuously refine our simulations, programs, and offerings to address the gaps they highlight.
We also leverage mentors who provide guidance across various topics and levels. Additionally, we host competitions, events, tournaments, and international exchanges for collaborative projects. That’s how we structure our approach.
Regarding the broader opportunity,The African e-learning market was valued at approximately $3.1 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $7.2 billion by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 9.82% during this period. Source: GlobeNewswire. In Nigeria, the online education sector is expected to grow from $159.6 million in 2025 to $297.8 million by 2029, with a CAGR of 16.88%. Source: Statista.
Great question. At this stage, we’re still researching and testing sustainable business models. Currently, we’re leaning toward a subscription model that is both affordable for students and scalable for schools. Beyond subscriptions, we’re exploring sponsorship opportunities with companies, especially leveraging their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. We’re also collaborating with organizations to create niche courses or specialized learning content that can be monetized.
While we don’t yet have a fully developed growth engine, we’re actively experimenting with business models to find the best fit for achieving our vision and attracting students.
One effective method has been partnering with student communities, such as Google Developer Student Groups across universities in Nigeria and Ghana. When we launched our first fellowship, we kept things simple—there was no website, just a Google Form. By reaching out to these tech-related communities, we received incredible applications from over seven African countries within ten days.
Our branding targets tech-savvy students, and we’re developing ambassador programs in schools and university groups to expand our reach. For corporate clients, we’re focusing on direct sales and tailored outreach. It’s a multi-pronged approach tailored to our different audiences.
Apart from fundraising and navigating capital transfer challenges, scaling our technology and staying data-driven are my biggest challenges. Engaging users, collecting feedback, and aligning our efforts with their needs require constant effort and take a lot of time. It’s essential but demanding. I also focus heavily on ensuring my team is aligned with our metrics and vision.
EdTech in Africa is still a niche industry, and it doesn’t attract the same level of investment or excitement as sectors like FinTech. Specific EdTech events are rare, but broader tech events like the Africa Tech Summit often feature EdTech booths and participants. The ecosystem is growing, but it’s clear we need more vertical-specific events to spotlight EdTech.
Thank you. This is the first time EdTech Mentor has featured someone from Africa. I hope this highlights what’s happening on the continent and encourages support, partnerships, and opportunities for growth.
