Gebeya and KaiOS partner to create opportunities for young African tech talents

Gebeya Inc. announced today that it will be partnering up with KaiOS Technologies, maker of KaiOS, the leading operating system for smart feature phones. The partnership focuses on introducing the KaiOS ecosystem to the African tech community which will, in turn, encourage the development of applications suitable for smart feature phones.

The collaboration between Gebeya and KaiOS entails a training curriculum developed by Gebeya which will provide imperative knowledge of the KaiOS ecosystem and equip trainees with the necessary skill set for a growing market of opportunities. The curriculum will incorporate a track solely aimed at developing technologies for the KaiOS platform. This new addition to Gebeya’s training module will enable trainees to build applications as per KaiOS development standards while accelerating the growing need of KaiOS developers in the African market. Recruitment of interested trainees is already underway with more students eagerly registering to partake in the track which will begin in early January.   

The collaborative effort of Gebeya and KaiOS will guarantee quality output and the creation of a dynamic community of highly experienced developers. The partnership also aims to tackle the current unemployment issue of several African nations. Innovative entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to develop applications that will be made accessible to the public in the KaiStore. This will enable the attraction of visionary tech professionals to attract attention, growth, and development to the underutilized tech sector of Africa through profitable endeavors that will result in invaluable social as well as economic values.

"KaiOS truly eliminates the digital divide by making internet accessible to the next billion who’re previously unconnected through affordable KaiOS-powered devices. It’s the right time that KaiOS enters in the African markets as it fosters digital inclusion across the continent. We’re benefited from KaiOS-powered smart feature phones as it allows software services to grow. Besides, it opens a huge market for software developers and helps them to make a positive impact in their communities. There are still some local problems to be solved by African talents and together with KaiOS we can have a big leap in the areas of FinTech and AgriTech." said Daniel Getachew, Full Stack Developer, and Trainer at Gebeya.

KaiOS is a mobile operating system based on HTML5 and other web technologies like Javascript. It enables a new category of affordable smart feature phones that require limited memory, while still offering a rich user experience through an optimized user interface. KaiOS has been bringing disruptive changes in transforming the continent’s digital landscape. In the past year, it has successfully integrated applications such as WhatsApp into the KaiOS platform. The company is dedicated to closing the gap between societies by intertwining technology and affordability.  

“KaiOS’s mission is to connect the next 4 billion users to the Internet, starting with a billion people in Africa. We are proud to partner with Gebaya to build a community of KaiOS developers who will build locally relevant services for the continent, but also for other emerging regions,” said Miora Randriambeloma, Partnerships Director at KaiOS Technologies.

The two companies share a commitment to mitigate the lack of mandatory development skills in the market. This opportunity will not only solidify the presence of KaiOS in Africa but will also reaffirm the dedication of the two companies to the digital transformation of Africa. With this partnership, a growing alliance between Gebeya and KaiOS will be manifested through various ventures that benefit the tech community.  

“African nations are on an upward climb in their efforts towards digital transformation thanks to the tireless work of countless dedicated individuals and institutions,” said Amadou, CEO, and Co-Founder of Gebeya. He went on to add, “today, a growing number of game-changers who elect to contribute to Africa’s digital revolution have become imperative to our continent’s resilient fight for a better future. I strongly believe that this new partnership between Gebeya and KaiOS is a crucial stepping stone towards fostering the journeys of these aspirational young tech talents whose innovative solutions could ease the lives of many, many African communities.”