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Pan-African software development training startup Andela has made Rwanda its fourth African market with the launch of a technology hub in Kigali via a partnership with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

Andela, which raised a US$40 million funding round in October of last year, initially launched operations in Nigeria in 2014 to help global companies overcome the shortage of skilled software developers and invest in Africa’s top technical minds.

Since then, the company has hired and developed more than 700 software engineers across the continent, who collectively help power the technology teams of more than 150 global companies, including Viacom, Pluralsight and GitHub. It has also expanded into Kenya and Uganda.

Through Andela’s distributed model of work, developers gain global experience with the world’s top technology firms while working remotely from an Andela campus.

Andela said Kigali was chosen as a strategic location for Andela’s first pan-African hub due to its strong existing infrastructure and ease of access for developers across the continent. Through the partnership, RDB will support Andela’s efforts to build a pan-African workforce and support the development of Rwandan and other African talent.

“We are thrilled to have found a partner in the Government of Rwanda whose mission is so closely aligned with our own: to grow and sustain a pan-African elite tech workforce. In Kigali, we have found a location that makes travel to-and-from other African countries seamless and also has the modern and connected infrastructure we require to collaborate with a global workforce,” said Andela co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Jeremy Johnson.

Clare Akamanzi, CEO of the RDB, said she was delighted to partner with Andela to build the next generation of technology leaders who will lead innovation in Kigali and beyond.

“Through partnerships, such as the one we are announcing today, we are accelerating Kigali’s growth as a global technology hub while also advancing skills development and employment opportunities for young, talented Africans,” she said.

Andela will open applications to candidates from any African country looking to jumpstart a global career in software development in August, and launch its Kigali tech campus in December. It will also open applications for the Andela Learning Community (ALC), which provides free resources and mentorship to aspiring technologists, in Rwanda and Tanzania.

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