"Talent is global but opportunity sadly isn't."

This week on the Limitless Africa podcast, we look at something young Africans care about: work! How work is changing, how you can get hired, how you can upskill, and what kind of work is out there - in fact these days more and more jobs can be done remotely, parrticularly in tech. For us, for young Africans, this shift matters. It allows talent from Lagos to Nairobi and Johannesburg (that’s me!) to work for companies based in California or New York or wherever really without leaving home. 

Andela is an American company doing just that - it’s a talent marketplace that trains and connects technologists from the continent and other emerging markets with leading companies around the world. It means American tech companies are getting high quality tech talent and Africans are sharing in the prosperity of Silicon Valley. 

We speak to Koffi Kelvin, who trained with Andela, and Nicola Lyons, the company’s talent lead.

Plus: How Koffi helped his family

🌟 IN THIS EPISODE:

1:28 The Andela mission

6:20 Why character matters more than skills

10:14 The importance of AI skills

14:15 Working remote

17:59 Are Africans cheap labour?

23:03 How to stand apart

💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

"I'm able to be present in the lives of the people who matter to me"

"Price isn't really what Andela competes on with our global North American clients. It's the skills."

"I feel like it's a huge plus for the companies which I get to work in to get my perspective as an African"

🌍 ABOUT LIMITLESS AFRICA

The podcast that asks how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperity

Every Monday: 15-minute episodes that dive into an issue that matters to Africans

Every Thursday: extended interview with someone unlocking Africa's limitless potential

➕ WANT MORE?

"How do you merge technology with human potential?" - the tech platform helping independent retailers https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/how-do-you-merge-technology-with-human-potential/

“African AI solutions are not being talked about” - Alex Tsado, the AI architect https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/african-homegrown-ai-solutions-are-not-being-talked-about/

Can Africa and America win the AI race? https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/why-america-is-africas-best-partner-in-the-ai-race/

💗 LOVE LIMITLESS AFRICA?

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🚀 FOLLOW LIMITLESS AFRICA

Instagram: @_trueafrica

Website: https://trueafrica.co/

Substack: https://limitlessafrica.substack.com/

🤝 FRIENDS OF LIMITLESS AFRICA

Limitless Africa is sponsored by the US Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation.

We've also included a little plug for one of our other favourite podcasts 'Unlocking Africa' hosted by Terser Adamu. Have a listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/unlocking-africa/id1603210129

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