DOB Equity invests in Nairobi-based technology learning accelerator Moringa School

•        Moringa School is developing the next generation of tech leaders through market-driven education 

•        With a rising population, youth unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing Kenya and Africa at large

•        The investment in Moringa School will help bridge the gap between a bullish labor market and the shortage of technically skilled Kenyan youth to fill the talent demands of the market

DOB Equity, a leading Dutch family-backed impact investor in East Africa, has invested in Moringa School (“Moringa”), the technology learning accelerator, to help it capitalize on the fast-growing demand for technical-skilled professionals. Moringa provides digital and professional training to students, increasing their employability and access to the labor market.  

Founded in Nairobi in 2014, Moringa School offers an intensive tech education program designed to equip students with the right skillset to enter the job market and bridge the skills gap.

With ever more companies turning to big data, digital skills are in high demand across the continent. Many companies are struggling to find good developers and high-quality tech talent.

Since its inception, Moringa has effectively delivered on mandate to help bridge the skills gap - over 89% of its students finding a job within three months of graduation at above average starting salary.

Moringa teaches students advanced technological skills by offering immersive full-time courses in Software Development and Data Science. The school has trained over 1,800 students from across East Africa since 2014.

Moringa provides a solution to the all-round challenge for growth in the SME sector, which is often held back by a lack of qualified and skilled professionals. Moringa helps to scale SMEs by solving this staffing problem.  

Moringa works according to a B2B and B2C model, the latter of which has seen the company’s growth skyrocket since its inception in 2014. The investment by DOB Equity is earmarked for regional expansion and strengthening of the technical platform. The investment perfectly fits DOB Equity’s portfolio, as it aims to support the scalability of innovative SMEs in the region with a strong focus on employability.

Brigit van Dijk – van de Reijt, CEO of DOB Equity, says: “With Kenya’s high youth unemployment and lag in vocational and technical skills, there is a huge opportunity to plug this skills gap by better training tech talent to fit the growing market needs. The increasing global demand for tech talent, together with Africa’s rapidly rising youth population, makes this opportunity even more pressing.”

Anne Njuki, Investment Manager of DOB Equity, comments: “We felt an immediate strong bond with Moringa’s truly innovative and ambitious management team. We are proud to be teaming up with them and are extremely excited about Moringa as it builds new courses and scales up to develop even more future tech leaders.” 

Audrey Cheng, Founder and Managing Director of Moringa, says: “We’re excited to continue to grow our quality and students served in partnership with DOB. We are looking forward to drawing on DOB’s experience in East Africa, as we build new market-aligned courses and expand our offerings to students in Kenya. Currently, Moringa has served students in Kenya from over 10 countries in Africa and is also looking forward to increasing access to our courses for students from other countries.”

ENDS

About DOB Equity

DOB Equity is a Dutch, family-backed impact investment firm that invests in impactful and innovative businesses in East Africa, with offices in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and in the Netherlands. DOB Equity invests equity and offers tailored financing, access to international networks and technical assistance to meet the needs of the business. With a portfolio of fast-growing companies in the East Africa food & agribusiness, distribution & logistics and energy & waste and education sectors, DOB Equity is determined to further expand its presence and impact in the region.

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