An entrepreneur with over seven years of experience in the digital sector, she established several companies, primarily in the education sector. 

Hadjara Ahouantchede (photo) is a Beninese trainer and entrepreneur. As the co-founder and CEO of Mara Academy, she aims to create decent and sustainable jobs for young people in Africa.

Founded in 2021, Mara Academy equips Africans with the skills necessary to secure quality employment. The academy offers various programs, including the Youth Employment Accelerator (YEA) and SHIFT. The YEA program, lasting 52 weeks, targets young people aged 18 to 35 seeking their first professional opportunity. The SHIFT program, which spans six months or more, is designed for professionals undergoing a career transition.

Through the YEA program, Mara Academy trains students in digital marketing, social media management, and UX/UI design. The SHIFT program also includes cybersecurity training and prepares students for recognized certifications in digital project management.

"We are focused on future-oriented careers, and all our training programs aim to help young people find employment. We train our students to acquire the necessary skills and aptitudes to secure good jobs," said Hadjara Ahouantchede in 2022.

As a trainer, Hadjara Ahouantchede is involved with the Francophone Employability Center (CEF) of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and the African Design School at Ecole229. She is also an ambassador for Future Females, a movement that inspires and supports female entrepreneurs.

Before Mara Academy, Hadjara co-founded Mentorat Club in 2016, a community of mentors boosting African businesses. The following year, she co-founded Sewema, an educational platform.

Hadjara holds a master's degree in software architecture from the School of Management, Computer Science, and Sciences (ESGIS), which she obtained in 2016. She began her professional career in 2015 at Cdiscussion as an assistant IT engineer. In 2016, she worked as a web developer at TEKXL.

In 2017, she joined the IT company RINTIO as a software development consultant. She has also been a consultant for TechnoServe, an entrepreneur support organization, and the Belgian development agency Enabel.

In 2019, she received the Femme Digitale 229 award from the Beninese Ministry of Digital Technology and Digitization.

Melchior Koba