A technology start-up has launched a new platform that connects skilled individuals in the informal sector with clients and organizations who require their services. The platform is dubbed Ayambe talent solutions. Ayambe talent was founded by Alex Kalanda, after working with graduates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), focusing on accelerating entrepreneurship & innovation globally in various entrepreneurial ecosystems like in Asia, South America & Africa. “With a vision of creating value in the informal sector, we have a mission of creating work opportunities in Africa by 2050,” said Alex Kalanda, the founder of Ayambe talent solutions. According to Kalanda, the World Bank estimates that informal work accounts for 89 per cent of overall employment in Sub-Saharan Africa, implying that these individuals do not have the option to get a guaranteed monthly salary from a contract employer. “To a large extent, the existence of those workers’ families is dependent on how many different work possibilities with the guaranteed salary they can find,” Kalanda added. Africa will be home to 75 per cent of the world’s under 35-year-olds by 2030, which means that Africa will also be home to a quarter of the world’s population by 2050. As a result, Ayambe is aiming to address challenges of employment, as Kalanda stated. What inspired the concept? Having unemployment as one of Africa’s most pressing issues, particularly in Rwanda, Kalanda identified an opportunity to make a difference and come up with a solution. “With exposure to critical concerns such as youth unemployment in several African countries, there are numerous possibilities to establish local solutions to make a difference,” Kalanda added. He went on to say that he grew up working in businesses both at home and at school and that he frequently encountered and worked with lots of young people seeking work opportunities. Who will be the beneficiaries? Ayambe talent solutions will have 2 major sets in their target audiences namely, skilled people seeking daily or weekly work opportunities like plumbers, hairdressers, electricians, painters, graphic designers, video editors, chefs, house cleaners, TV repairs, carpenters, and others. The second major will be made up of individuals staying alone or at their homes as well as businesses. These usually spend so much time, effort, and money trying to get quality service from skilled and reliable people. “We want to make their life easier. Ayambe gets them reliable skilled youth to solve their problems at a touch of a button while they use their time to focus on other things they need to get done,” said Alex. Ayambe is on track to ensuring that by the end of the year, more than 100,000 competent Rwandan youths will be able to access job possibilities via their mobile phones, regardless of whether or not they have access to the internet. This will be accomplished through Ayambe mobile phone apps for smartphones with internet access, whereby skilled individuals will download the “Ayambe skills” app from google play store while users will download the “Ayambe” app from both google play store and App Store for iPhone users. Those who do not have access to the internet will be able to get the solution in Kinyarwanda or English. To sign up, they only need to dial *801*124#. Kalanda says they would like to create about 10 million work opportunities in Rwanda in the short term, which is therefore very important to know that if anyone has a problem that needs a certain skill then there will be skilled youth in Ayambe eagerly waiting for these opportunities. Ayambe will also work with other relevant partners in Rwanda across the value chain to ensure that we uplift the wellbeing of the youth and society. Such partners will reach out to them through their social media or email: info@ayambetalent.com, as Kalanda says Another of Ayambe’s objectives is to ensure that its platforms follow the Covid-19 standard operating procedures as prescribed by the government. “We have measures in place to enable us to communicate with our stakeholders effectively,” Kalanda added. “Health will be essential to guarantee we reach other goals.” “Rwanda is ranked second in Africa in the ease of doing business by the World Bank. This was evident when I approached the relevant authorities to set up the business here,” said Kalanda when asked why they came to operate in Rwanda.
