Fully aware of the importance of the digital industry, he helps young people acquire professional skills in the sector and prepare them for future changes in the job market.

Samy Mwamba (photo) is a Congolese entrepreneur and founder of Itot Africa, an edtech startup. Through its online academy Okademy, the startup founded in 2016 offers various digital courses including graphic design, software development, and automation.  

Samy initially launched Itot Africa as a forum for discussions on new technologies and employment. He later shifted to software development, digital marketing, and tech talent recruitment consulting. To date, Itot Africa has trained some 400 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and created over 60 jobs. 

“I launched Itot Africa in 2016 when I was still a university student. At the time, I used to see several of my seniors graduate from university and still be unable to find jobs despite being brilliant students. This led me to reflect on employment in DRC. [...] When I realized that there were no real employment prospects in DRC, I employed myself by first creating a business, which offers various solutions to the population, and then training people in digital skills,” he said in an interview with Deutsche Welle. 

Samy Mwamba is, since 2020, an e-commerce and e-business teacher at the Higher School of Economic and Political Governance of Lubumbashi (EcoPo – Lubumbashi). In December 2021, he was a TED speaker for TEDxBoulevardMsiri. From May to June 2021, he was a training consultant for the Belgian development Agency ENABEL. From September to November 2021, he was also a digital platform consultant for Oxford Policy Management. Besides Itot Africa, Samy has co-founded JENX, a clothing brand, and Dark Valley (DAVA), a dog breeding center. 

Melchior Koba