Moringa School

Hear the Pitch

The Problem

Half of the 10 million African university students who graduate each year are unemployed. This is not for a lack of jobs. Rather, universities and other education programs deliver outdated content that doesn’t match the needs of modern employers—disserving both ambitious students who want meaningful employment, and companies in need of skilled talent.

The Solution

Moringa School fills this void with a learning accelerator that provides young Africans with digital and professional skills training. Moringa’s approach focuses on two key aspects: a blended learning model and market relevance.

In blended learning, courses are online, but students complete them in the classroom with a teacher’s guidance. Through market research and testing, Moringa ensures that curriculum content and the methodologies teachers use are applicable to employers’ actual needs.

Teachers simulate a real working environment and facilitate projects that require students to apply what they’ve learned. Furthermore, Moringa connects students with leading companies through job fairs and meetings to facilitate students’ transition into the workforce.

Market Opportunity

• Within Kenya, 40 percent of college graduates cannot find employment, and only 1 percent of computer science majors secure positions in their field.
• Unemployed youth are more likely to work longer hours under insecure work arrangements, characterized by low productivity and meager earnings, and young women face particularly strong challenges in entering the labor force; Moringa School’s students are 41 percent female.
• In Kenya, the market size for Moringa’s services, which include software development training, coding skills, and professional internships, is valued at more than US $47 million.

Organization Highlights

• Successfully doubled number of graduates each year of operation
• Awards: Fast Company’s 2018 Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Africa, Cartier Women’s Initiative Finalist, Solve Teacher’s & Educators Prize
• Featured speaker: World Bank Global Youth Summit, OECD Pathways to Youth Employment Conference, Tech Inclusion in Silicon Valley
• Media: Marie Claire, IT News Africa, Forbes, Fast Company

Existing Partnerships

Partners utilizing Moringa School’s curriculum include:

• Outbox, based in Uganda
• The Rwandan Government
• GIZ
• The Danish Government to fund access program, which brings low-income students into Moringa on scholarships and income-sharing agreements

Moringa School partners with the World Bank, hubs, universities, and secondary schools to attract students. Moringa also partners with:

• Local and international tech companies, including Visa and Microsoft to host Nairobi Tech Week
• Student Finance Africa, a student loan partner
• Digital Divide Data, an income-sharing agreement partner
• UNESCO
• Kenya Institute for Curriculum Development

Organization Goals

Moringa School seeks to achieve the following goals:

• Become the premiere training partner for tech companies in Africa
• Grow exposure with international stakeholders
• Expand to additional countries in Africa

Partnership Goals

To reach the goals mentioned above, Moringa School seeks partnerships to:

• Facilitate development of effective approaches to technical education
• Raise funding support for market research and pilots, Moringa’s access program, building and running new courses, supporting job placement, classroom expansion, and Moringa’s free secondary school program
• Develop strong university and governmental connections to encourage policy change and licensing of content