- Published on
Madojo - UC Berkeley Big Ideas Social Venture Competition
- Authors
- Name
- Okoro Victor I.
Nigeria’s Unemployment Crisis: Plenty of Talent, Not Enough Experience
Social Venture Competition: University of California Berkeley, Big Ideas Social Venture Competition
Collaborators: Dan Huang, Joshua Albano, Victor Okoro
Nigeria is home to by far the highest number of startups in Africa, and over the past few years, these startups have received a large amount of venture funding — over $1 billion in 2022 by one estimate. These startups are looking to hire a local workforce, but a stark difference exists between the skills employers look for and the skills Nigerian applicants have when they graduate from universities.
In the fall of 2021, Master of Development Engineering students Victor Okoro, Daniel Huang, and Joshua Iokua Albano, interested in education and helping Nigerians find jobs post-graduation, teamed up to found Madojo, a platform that connects Nigerian university graduates with employers in the technology space while helping the graduates gain sought-after skills through skills development, portfolio design, networking, and mentorship.