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Representing Andela at Safaricom Decode 2025 in Nairobi didn’t just shift my perspective; it transformed my view on what's possible when 30,000 developers unite around Kubernetes, even after years of leading marketing at global tech events
Safaricom Decode: Where Innovation Meets African Tech
Safaricom Decode 2025 is East Africa's epicenter of tech innovation, where global disruptors converge with Africa’s rising technology elite. Hosted annually by Safaricom, Kenya’s telecom and fintech giant, the summit spotlights groundbreaking tech and fuels cross-border collaboration.
Andela had a notable presence at Decode, with 20 team members attending, including eight technologists awarded exclusive invitations through our global Talent Network. Observing these technologists engaging directly with global industry leaders highlighted exactly what happens when brilliant technologists meet real-world opportunity: conversations sparked and a vision for Africa's expanding role in global tech took clear shape.
Mentorship Goes Cloud-Native: Decode’s Kubernetes Masterclass
The mentorship session at Decode was electric, especially the Kubernetes masterclass led by Andela's Learning Manager, Ibrahim Kabiru. Kabiru, who has spearheaded innovative cloud-native training programs across Africa, captivated attendees with insights drawn from Andela's ambitious partnership with CNCF: a groundbreaking initiative set to train up to 30,000 African technologists in Kubernetes and cloud-native expertise by 2028.
Alongside Kabiru, Andela mentors Abraham Omomoh, Kajura Jude, and Feji Ikogho showcased how targeted mentorship and strategic upskilling initiatives are rapidly reshaping Africa’s tech landscape. The masterclass offered a deep dive into Kubernetes fundamentals, container orchestration, cloud-native architectures, observability, and application delivery, demonstrating firsthand how focused learning experiences unlock transformative career opportunities for emerging tech talent.
Up-and-coming technologists absorbed every insight as Ibrahim explained how these skills are already creating life-changing opportunities. As one success story shared in his presentation, Ezekiel Mogaka noted: "The Kubernetes training and CKAD certification offered to me by Andela and CNCF accelerated my recent hiring as Senior Manager of Cloud Engineering" at Equity Bank.
The audience engagement was electric; my colleagues weren't simply transferring knowledge; they were igniting passion and building capability in the next generation of tech leaders.
The Power of Personal Connection
Co-hosting our exhibit alongside standout members of the Andela Talent Network was an unexpected highlight. Watching these technologists engage with aspiring developers, engineers, and tech enthusiasts exemplified the community spirit that makes technology so powerful, with knowledge shared freely, connections made authentically, and opportunities discovered organically.
Having worked hundreds of conference booths throughout my career, this experience stood apart through its genuine warmth and mutual respect between all participants. It perfectly demonstrated Andela's talent ecosystem in action; the combination of upskilling, community building, and career matching that has made Andela home to over 5.5 million technologists across 135+ countries.
In-Person in a Remote-First World
At a time when distributed teams are the norm, there's something unexpectedly powerful about seeing global technologists show up in person. During a conversation at Decode with Alan Fiddes, VP of Managed Services at Andela, it clicked: field events aren’t just brand moments, they’re proof points.
Bringing together engineers from across Africa and Latin America reframed the conversation. For many attendees, meeting these developers face to face revealed what remote hiring platforms can’t always convey: rich expertise, strong communication, and a shared sense of purpose.
In a remote-first world, presence still matters. Sometimes the fastest way to change a stakeholder’s mindset isn’t a better deck; it’s a five-minute conversation with the right person.
Worth Every Mile
The journey from Southern California to Nairobi was lengthy but immeasurably worthwhile. Only 5% of Americans have visited Africa, a number that feels staggeringly low when you consider what’s unfolding across the continent’s tech ecosystems. I’d traveled to Africa before for leisure, but this was my first time there for business, and the experience hit differently.
The Andela Talent Network represents so much more than profiles in a database. These are world-class technologists who often lack the visibility and opportunities readily available to peers in North America and Europe. 60% of Andela's talent comes from previously untapped markets in Latin America and Africa, and through strategic learning partnerships with industry leaders like Google, CNCF, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and AWS, Andela is creating pathways to global opportunities.
If you're looking to enhance your technology teams with exceptional talent, I encourage you to connect with us. The brilliance, determination, and innovation I witnessed at Safaricom Decode 2025 can strengthen your organization, and the experience will likely change your perspective as profoundly as it changed mine.
