Our mission

Creating new work opportunities for millions of Africa's youth

Creating
new work opportunities for millions of Africa's youth

Talent is abundant in Africa.
Opportunities and access to higher education are not.

We use technology, mentorship, and innovative learning approaches to bridge this gap for Africa’s youth, developing 3 million ethical tech leaders by 2035.

We unlock Africa's potential for progress

Africa needed to evolve and innovate to participate fully in the global digital economy

ALX was created to make that possible for the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs

Our story

The history of ALX

Since our founding, we've been building ALX – a scalable, high-quality and accessible learning ecosystem for tech talent and entrepreneurs.

2017—2018

What began as a small ALU experiment blossomed into ALX’s first Leadership Core Programme in Kenya. Despite having degrees, our initial learners faced unemployment—a challenge we set out to solve with our rigorous, practical approach.

2019—2020

Our vision gained momentum when 50% of our first cohort secured jobs within months. When COVID-19 struck, we transformed crisis into opportunity, rebuilding our model for the digital age.

2021—2022

We experienced extraordinary growth after acquiring Holberton to strengthen our technical curriculum. Thousands of learners across Lagos, South Africa, Abidjan, and Kenya joined our movement, turning skills into livelihoods.

2023—2024

As our impact deepened, we gained independence as a non-profit, launched ALX Pathway, created Swaniker Scholarships, and partnered with Patoranking Foundation—all focused on one goal: economic empowerment for Africa’s youth.

2025 - 2026

We celebrated our journey with our first ever multi-city retreat while continuing to innovate through new creative tech programs. With each graduate, we’re strengthening our commitment to building an accessible ecosystem where African talent thrives.

Our progess

We’re creating sustainable, transformational change in Africa

205500 +

Graduates

64500 +

Jobs Created

11500 +

Ventures Launched

0

Hubs Across Africa

Our mission is already in motion

By building an ecosystem of learning, skills, and access, we are creating a movement that bridges the opportunity gap and drives a prosperous digital future for Africa.

The only way that we can justify privilege is by solving the world's biggest problems, and by doing hard things.

Fred Swaniker
CEO and Founder