Global seed-stage startup competition Seedstars World has launched its first academy in Lagos, Nigeria, aiming to provide a six-month programme of education to turn motivated young people into digital changemakers.
Last year, the Seedstars World global contest hosted African heats in Mozambique, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Senegal and Botswana.
It then followed this up by hosting Seedstars Africa, the first edition of an annual summit that connects African entrepreneurs, investors and entrepreneurship ecosystems. The Seedstars Academy aims to enable young Nigerians to spread the use of internet and digital technologies to combat the country’s high youth unemployment rate.
The academy will bring a blend of transferable skills, including effective communication, teamwork, project management, business modelling and innovation, and vocational skills, which includes UI/UX, rapid prototyping, online marketing, and analytics, supplemented with instilling an entrepreneurial mindset needed for students to bring meaningful change with digital entrepreneurship.
Students do not have to pay to attend the programme, but rather get paid while learning to become an entrepreneur. They will receive exposure to world-class mentors, expanding their network and leverage.
Applications are open now for the academy, which launches in Lagos next month but will expand to more than 10 key hubs over the course of the year.
