IKOUĒ Academy 2024 Cohort

Since 12 September 2024, the first IKOUĒ Academy cohort has settled in at the ONI, Office National de l’Informatique.

We thank once again our partner the ONI, which helps us lift some logistical limitations and lets those enrolled access an equipped training room: computers and an internet connection.

The first cohort: challenges and responsibilities

25 people were accepted for this first cohort, including 3 women.

The cohort is made up mainly of students already following a computing curriculum at the various local institutions. Classes and practical work take place every week, on Thursday and Friday.

Our initial projection was to have a cohort of 13 people. Having nearly double that is very encouraging, but the content of the program and the pace to keep up mean we should expect to see some people drop out along the way.

We adopt a group-work approach (3 to 4 people) for greater inclusion and to enable as many as possible to go all the way. That said, we do not set ourselves quantitative goals but rather qualitative ones.

Someone who leaves the program is still someone who will have learned a great deal and can always enroll in a future cohort.

Challenges

This first cohort will help us answer a question to which we have no answer today: how long is the training? Indeed, for the content and format proposed, we have no benchmark for arriving at a fixed duration. We are in a range of 6 to 9 months. At the end of this first cohort, the data collected will let us arrive at a refined schedule.

The second challenge, no small one, is online training. That is what we mean by “format”. The heavy dependence on a good internet connection to run the practical classes quickly runs into the reality on the ground. After more than a month of training, the internet connection remains the biggest challenge. We hope the optical fiber project will come into effect in the coming months.

A double responsibility

Through this first cohort, our goal is to confirm that the model proposed through IKOUĒ Academy works.

In turn, through their involvement in this program, each learner of this cohort becomes an ambassador of the program for the following cohorts. We want to set up a pyramid system in which each cohort gives a little of its time to the next.

The IKOUĒ Academy goal

Our goal through this program is first to create a self-learning ecosystem by encouraging teamwork and collaboration. The intervention of experts should be something occasional (once a week) to provide a framework and serve as a springboard. The heart of the model remains collaborative work around concrete projects.

We are investing in this first cohort because it is the pilot of a vision we hope to see expand across the whole country in optimal conditions.

We are laying the groundwork so that in 2025 and beyond:

• More people from the country or the diaspora decide to join the program as trainers
• Working remotely for a company beyond the CAR becomes more and more likely and possible
• The program is deployed beyond Bangui

How can you help?

The entire IKOUĒ model is based on creating an ecosystem. It is only together that we can move things forward. Our Contact us space is open to everyone to:

• Express your interest in training in your area of expertise (Marketing, Development, Security, Infrastructure, Design, etc.)
• Company: Share with us the type of profile and skills you would like to see come out of this kind of program
• Company hiring remotely: what are your selection criteria?
• Company (CSR program) and Investors: our learners need computer equipment

Conclusion

The first IKOUĒ Academy cohort represents a crucial step in our vision of an innovative tech ecosystem in the Central African Republic.

Despite the technical and logistical challenges, we remain convinced that this collaborative learning model can durably transform the country’s digital landscape. The success of this pilot cohort will serve as a foundation for future generations of Central African tech talent, thus creating a positive multiplier effect for the entire national digital sector.

Your support, whether as a trainer, partner company, or investor, is essential to make this vision a lasting reality.