As a computer scientist and entrepreneur, Ousseynou Diop leverages innovation to advance education and entrepreneurship, driving Africa into the global digital economy.

Ousseynou Diop (photo) is a Senegalese software developer and tech entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Xarala, a startup specializing in technology education.

The name Xarala, which means “technology” in Wolof, reflects the platform’s mission: to provide Africans with access to quality education to help them unlock their full potential. Founded in 2018, Xarala offers hands-on and accessible training in key digital fields, including software development, digital marketing, design, and data analysis.

The startup provides a mobile app for self-paced learning, along with personalized mentorship and certifications upon course completion. Xarala allows learners to study in their preferred language, making education more inclusive and accessible.

Alongside his work at Xarala, Ousseynou Diop serves as Software Technical Lead at ORYA TECHNOLOGIES, a financial services provider in Senegal. His tech journey began in 2016 as a freelance web developer. From 2017 to 2022, he was Vice President of the Programming Commission at Daara-IT, a Senegalese community of young tech enthusiasts.

Diop later joined OuiCarry, a logistics company, as a full-stack developer, before moving to Digital.in in 2020, where he worked on AI-driven recruitment solutions. From 2022 to 2023, he was a full-stack developer at Gemography, a platform connecting software engineers and data specialists with global tech companies.

By Melchior Koba,

Editing by Sèna D. B. de Sodji