Dutch tech firm Tunga has launched an e-learning platform The Tunga Academy, which offers free online courses for African for African tech talent and is part of the company’s investment program for educational resources worth €450K, €200K of which was granted to Tunga under the German develoPPP program last October.

Touted as the first open e-learning platform for developers exclusively focused on Africa, the Tunga Academy offers four technical courses and three soft skills courses, such as effective online communication and situation awareness.

According to the company, it is a beta version that will be updated following feedback from developers, making sure the courses are in line with the demand on the market.

“In addition, Tunga is launching a testing platform this summer to enable developers to test and improve their skills. The Tunga Academy supports the developer community to upskill and reskill, whilst navigating remote work on the African continent. In the coming months, the number of courses will be increased to at least 25 before the end of 2021.

Ernesto Spruyt, founder of Tunga, said: “Tunga works with the best talents available on the African market, but our aim is to invest in the entire talent pool. The launch of our e-learning platform, soon to be followed by our testing platform, is an important step in allowing African software developers to effectively improve their skills and assess where they stand. They can follow the courses, regardless of where they are in Africa, in their own time and at their own pace. And because being successful as a software developer is much more than just excelling technically, we also offer courses in soft skills. Our aim is to lead as much tech talent as possible to the opportunities available on the international job market. We can’t hire everyone, but we can share our knowledge!”

Tunga claims to have a network of over 400 software developers in countries like Egypt, Nigeria and Uganda.

In June 2020, Tunga received a Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) loan to build further capacity.

The investment will be used to expand its African operations and launch growth plans in Europe.

The intention is to expand the local organisation and infrastructure in Africa so that local developers get the opportunity to become part of Tunga’s talent programme.