About
Mission & Vision
We’re committed to bridging the digital divide in East Africa
Our Mission
To provide accessible, practical digital skills training to East African entrepreneurs, enabling them to leverage technology to grow their businesses and improve their livelihoods. We focus on low-barrier, high-impact skills that can be immediately applied.
Our Vision
A digitally empowered East Africa where every entrepreneur, regardless of their background or resources, can harness digital tools to create sustainable businesses, access broader markets, and contribute to economic growth in their communities.
The Mtaani University Story
Mtaani University was born from a simple observation: East African entrepreneurs are incredibly resourceful and hardworking, but many lack access to the digital skills that could dramatically scale their businesses.
Founded in 2019 by Dr. Amina Okello and James Mwangi, both former technology educators, the organization began as a small workshop series in Nairobi’s informal settlements. The initial goal was modest: teach 50 small business owners how to use WhatsApp Business to reach more customers.
The results were immediate and transformative. Those first participants saw their customer bases grow by an average of 40% within just three months. Word spread quickly, and soon we were being asked to expand to other communities.
By 2020, with support from the Mastercard Foundation and Google, we developed our mobile-first learning platform, specifically designed for entrepreneurs with limited internet access and basic smartphones. This allowed us to scale our impact across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Today, Mtaani University has grown into East Africa’s largest digital skills training program specifically for small and micro entrepreneurs, with over 85,000 graduates who have seen their incomes increase by an average of 4.8 times through the application of practical digital skills.
The People Behind Our Mission
Our diverse team combines expertise in education, technology, and community development
Dr. Amina Okello
Co-Founder & CEO
Former computer science professor with 15 years of experience in educational technology.
James Mwangi
Co-Founder & COO
Social entrepreneur with extensive experience in community development projects.
Grace Achieng
Curriculum Director
Specializes in developing accessible learning materials for users with limited digital literacy.
Daniel Omondi
Technology Lead
Former Google engineer who designs our low-data, mobile-optimized learning platform.
Real Results for African Entrepreneurs
The numbers that drive our mission forward
Entrepreneurs Trained
Across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda
Income Growth
Average income increase after applying our training
Women Entrepreneurs
Helping bridge the gender gap in digital access
Digital Courses
Practical, mobile-optimized training programs
Partners & Supporters
Organizations that help make our work possible
World Bank
Provides funding for our rural expansion programs
Mastercard Foundation
Major supporter of our youth entrepreneurship programs
Provides technical expertise and digital tools training
Kiva
Connects our graduates with microfinance opportunities