Since 2010 Brighton Mukorera has worked professionally as a software developer gaining a diversity of experiences. He’s working in the telco industry, with local startups, and as a Senior Developer for a Crypto Currency exchange. We spoke with Brighton, Lead Engineer of Neno, about transitioning to game development, the state of Africa’s mobile gaming industry, and his thoughts on tech in Zimbabwe. Timestamps: 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:00 – Journey into game development. 2:36 – What is 'Neno'? 3:44 – The process of building a mobile gaming app. 5:32 – Thoughts on Africa's gaming industry. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/brighton-mukorera-neno Subscribe to Built In Africa today: https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

iPF Softwares is a full-fledged software development house based in Dar es salaam, Tanzania focused on developing digital solutions that drive human behavior and engagement with the aim of helping businesses in Africa stand out in the digital world. We spoke with Grayson Julius, co-founder of iPF Softwares, about iPF’s approach to software development, the products they’ve built for their clients, and tips to be a successful developer in Africa. Timestamps: 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:06 – Building impact-driven solutions. 3:55 – iPF’s approach to software development. 6:50 – Training the team of engineers, Scrum Masters, and UX designers. 8:41 – The importance of being an ethical developer. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/grayson-julius-ipf-softwares Subscribe to Built In Africa today: https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

Standing on it’s “trust culture” mantra since 2013, DreamGalaxy TV is the #1 Multicultural streaming platform. Founded on the belief that everyone has (everything is) a story and that every story matters, the platform provides culturally relevant digital content in the form of digital stories, animations, docs, shorts, and films. We spoke with Brian Asingia, CEO of DreamGalaxy TV. Timestamps: 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:01 – How DreamGalaxy TV is providing culturally relevant content. 3:42 – Building trust with content creators. 6:10 – Building successful software solutions for Africa. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/brian-asingia-dreamgalaxytv Subscribe to Built In Africa today: https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

SynCommerce is a highly automated e-commerce solution that enables online merchants to manage their complete sales process across multiple marketplaces. In 2019, the SynCommerce team released its second application, OrderSenta, another e-commerce solution that allows online merchants to process and fulfill orders from multiple sales channels in one place. We spoke with Stephen Asamoah, UI/UX front-end developer at SynCommerce. Timestamps: 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:00 – Redesigning SynCommerce. 3:37 – The design process for building OrderSenta. 5:24 – The benefits of UX Designers knowing how to code. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/stephen-asamoah-ordersenta Subscribe to Built In Africa today: https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

Fleri is a health insurance marketplace on a mission to help immigrants protect the people they love. Their revolutionary business model provides an alternative to sending cash home for medical expenses. On their marketplace, immigrants can purchase health insurance policies for their loved ones for as low as $50 a month. We spoke with Sam Baddoo, founder of Fleri, about what led him to create Fleri and how it's changing health care in Africa. Timestamps: 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:03 – Sam's journey to creating Fleri. 4:45 – What problem is Fleri addressing? 7:56 – How Fleri is fundamentally changing health care in Africa. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/sam-baddoo-fleri Subscribe to Built In Africa today: https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

PyNam consists of beginner, intermediate, and master programmers and aims to bring together the Python community in Namibia and create a new generation of Python developers. We spoke with Ngazetungue Muheue, Community Outreach Co-coordinator of PyNam, about leading a community of developers, pivoting during COVID-19, and the value of a pan-African approach to Africa’s tech ecosystem. Timestamps: 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:04 – Ngazetungue journey into tech and how Python Namibia came about. 3:04 – Attending PyCon Africa in Ghana. 5:00 – Ngazetungue shares how he sees Python Namibia evolving. 7:19 – Thoughts on Tech in Namibia Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/ngazetungue-muheue-python-namibia Subscribe to Built In Africa today: https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

African Women in Technology is an event series that was born out of the desire to connect, educate, and empower women who are determined to advance their tech careers. We spoke with Anie Akpe, founder of African Women in Technolgy, about AWIT Creaties a platform that connects creative professionals to freelance opportunities, the importance of women in tech, and more. Timestamps: 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 0:58 – African Women in Technology 3:26 – What is AWIT Creative? 5:35 – How a diversity of perspectives contributes to building successful tech solutions. 7:40 – Anie's roadmap from those in the diaspora who want to get involved in Africa's tech ecosystem. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/empowering-african-women-freelancers-in-the-global-gig-economy

After becoming a remote developer and enduring the challenges of figuring it out on his own, Ahmed created remote.ma, a blog that’s all about remote working. We spoke with Ahmed EL AZZABI, Software Engineer at Automattic about his journey into tech, launching remote, and tips for remote developers. Timestamps: 0:00 – What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:04 – Ahmed's journey into tech. 3:30 – Launching Remote and what attracted him to working remotely. 6:45 – Life as a remote developer/ what it takes to be a remote developer in Africa. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/ahmed-el-azzabi-remote Subscribe to Built In Africa today: https://builtinafrica.substack.com/welcome

We spoke with Becky Tsadik Director of Marketing at Gebeya Inc., a Pan-African EdTech and talent Marketplace. Becky discusses creating what led her to Gebeya, Gebeya's aims to be the most trusted and reliable source of talent in Africa, and what it takes to successfully operate a Pan-African company. Timestamps: 0:00 What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:03 – Relocating from the US to Ethiopia and joining Gebeya. 3:42 – How Gebeya’s business model has evolved and their rigorous interview/onboarding process. 7:04 – What goes into building a pan-African company. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/becky-tsadik-gebeya

We spoke with Seun Akanni, Front-end Software Engineer and co-founder of Retroly, an agile retrospective tool for teams with remote or co-located team members. Seun discusses creating Retroly, the role empathy played in building Retroly, and the importance of developers collaborating with UX Designers. Timestamps: 0:00 What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:08: The structure of Retroly: Feedback, group, voting, and resolution stage. 2:06: Where are Retroly’s users coming from? 4:45: The role empathy played in building Retroly. 5:40: The importance of front-end developers and UI designers collaborating. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/retroly-remote-retrospective-tool

We spoke with Kwabena Boadu, senior full stack developer at The Weather Network. Kwabena discusses the challenges of building The Weather Network's first cross-platform product Storm Centre, the importance of empathy when working with other developers, and what it takes to be a successful developer in Africa. Timestamps: 0:00: What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:00: Challenges him and the team faced building Storm Centre, The Weather Network’s first cross-platform application. 2:33: The importance of empathy when working with other engineer? 5:22: Why technical skills, communication, and professionalism are the key attributes of being a successful developer in Africa. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/from-offshore-to-in-house-a-senior-developer-who-moved-from-ghana-to-canada

We spoke with Vuyisile Ndlovu, a Software Developer based in Zimbabwe. Vuyisile discusses creating PyPI in a Box; a Raspberry Pi with Stack Overflow and PyPI cloned onto it. His experience as an open source developer and the value in a pan-African approach to Africa’s tech ecosystem. Timestamps: 0:00: What does Built In Africa mean to you? 1:00: Creating PyPI in a Box to help devs gain access to tech tools without an internet connection. 2:52: Experience as an open source contributor to Mozilla Firefox. 6:10: Attending PyCon Africa and the power of pan-African tech collaboration. 7:30: Tips for being successful as an African dev. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/vuyisile-ndlovu-pypi

We spoke with George Madjitey co-founder of GEM Industrial Solutions a Ghanaian based commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) service delivery provider, focused on agriculture. George shares how he got from Houston to Accra, the value GEM provides to the marketplace, and the impact drone technology will have on Africa. Timestamps: 1:12: How Drone technology is benefiting Ghana’s agriculture industry. 2:42: Thoughts on Ghana’s commercial drone space. 4:36: From Houston to Accra. Tips for entrepreneurs in the diaspora moving to Africa. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/george-madjitey-gem-industrial-solutions

We spoke with Eugene Bos Digital Experience Designer at Adidas. Eugene shares the challenges of building and selling Wero, getting his job at Adidas, and what do you believe are the keys to being a successful UX designer in Africa. Timestamps: 0:57: Selling his startup Wero, a donation platform for millennials. 2:58: Journey to becoming a Digital Experience Designer at Adidas. 5:24: Advice for UX designers in Africa Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/eugene-bos-wero

We spoke with Usheninte Dangana Digital Product Manager at Nullnow Computing. Ninte shares his journey transitioning into software development, what he learned during his time at MEST Africa, and the importance of resilience as a software developer. Timestamps: 0:58: Ninte shares how he transitioned to software development. 2:48: How MEST Africa helped him grow as a software developer. 6:05: The importance of resilience as a software developer in Africa. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/usheninte-dangana-jiditrust

We spoke with Susan Were, Software Developer at Microsoft and creator of the YouTube channel Tech Space. Susan shares what led her to create Tech Space and the role Rails Girls Mombasa played, the importance of soft skills in tech, and her experience as a woman in tech. Timestamps: 0:58: How the Rails Girls Mombasa community played a role in creating Tech Space. 2:27: How Tech Space is helping Kenyan developers with their technical and soft skills. 4:11: Testimony on the impact of Tech Space. 6:20: How joining Andela changed her perspective on being a woman in tech Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/tech-space-susan-were

We spoke with Naoufal El hassnaoui Technical Lead at Eutech Maroc in Tangier, Morocco. Naoufal shares why companies are coming to Morocco and other African countries to hire tech talent, what it takes to be a technical lead, and provides some advice for software engineers and college students looking for jobs. Timestamps: 1:00: Why foreign companies are coming to Morocco and other African counties for tech talent. 2:28: What it takes to be a technical lead. 6:05: What to do when you get stuck on a software problem. 7:36: How to land your first or next job as a software developer. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/naoufal-el-hassnaoui-eutech-maroc

LetaFood the online food delivery service based in Eldoret, Kenya, promoting local and healthy food alternatives to its users. We spoke with Marvin Collins Hosea CEO of Apps:Lab, the software development company with a vision to become the leading solution provider in Africa, about the inspiration behind LetaFood, building an online food delivery platform focused on healthy eating, and the importance of customer support. Timestamps: 1:05: What led Apps:Lab to create a food delivery service. 3:27: How focusing on healthy and local food has impacted their business both positively and negatively. 5:59: The importance of customer support in tech. Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/marvin-collins-letafood-kenya