When I was a child running on the dirt roads of my village in Mali, if someone had told me that one day I would be in Bamako, Paris, Bloomington, or Washington, D.C., I would have thought that he or she was crazy. Yet, here I am—a testament to the power of resilience, says Sidiki Traore . Out with a new book titled Echoes of Resilience, the former World Bank cadre, and seasoned educator tells ambitious but challenged young Africans that determination and not circumstances make the difference.
In an interview with Pan African Visions, Sidiki’ encourages Africa’s youth to focus on the positive, embrace opportunities, and never stop learning. In the interview Sidiki also dwells at length on how his passion for equitable access to education culminated in the founding of Distance Education for Africa (DeAfrica), an organization dedicated to bridging the educational gap for Africans through innovative distance-learning solutions. The challenges faced in bringing this vision to life were immense. Funding was scarce, infrastructure was lacking, and the physical demands were daunting, yet Sidiki prevailed.
A significant milestone was achieved in August 2020 when DeAfrica reached learners from all 54 African countries. Today, we have learners in every single country across the continent, and over 60,000 scholarships have been awarded, creating the largest engaged educational ecosystem in Africa, says Sidiki Traore.
“We have reached the unreachable, providing students and professionals from diverse backgrounds with access to quality education. To build a thriving Africa, we must skill, reskill, and upskill our workforce. That is the gap I am committed to bridging,” says Sidiki Traore.
You are out with a new book titled Echoes of Resilience, for those who may not know, could you introduce the book for them and why the decision to have it out now ?
Thank you so much, Ajong. It is truly an honor to be interviewed by Pan African Visions, one of the leading magazines covering Africa.
My book, Echoes of Resilience, highlights the transformative power of education. It reflects my deep passion for learning and its ability to shape lives and societies. Education is a force for change, and I believe in the importance of investing in it, no matter the challenges.
The book shares stories of learners who persevere against adversity, proving that resilience can open doors to new opportunities. Now feels like the right moment to reflect on my journey—the struggles, the victories, and the people who supported me along the way. More importantly, I hope to inspire others to give back to their communities and make a lasting impact.
From the humble beginnings in Mali that you talk about to the global summits in Washington and the Bank, how challenging was the journey for you and what is the message that you have for others from less privileged backgrounds seeking to make it in the challenging world of today ?
My message is simple: never give up. Challenges are inevitable, but perseverance, hard work, and self-belief can turn obstacles into stepping stones. Life is a struggle, but success belongs to those who push forward despite the hardships.
When I was a child running on the dirt roads of my village in Mali, if someone had told me that one day I would be in Bamako, Paris, Bloomington, or Washington, D.C., I would have thought that he or she was crazy. Yet, here I am—a testament to the power of resilience.
For anyone striving to build a better future, remember this: focus on the positive, embrace opportunities, and never stop learning. Your circumstances do not define you; your determination does.
How important do you think the book can be in the development context of Africa today?
This book serves as both an inspiration and a call to action. It aligns with the mission of Distance Education for Africa (DeAfrica) and supports our broader vision of “Building Inclusive Workforce Education at Scale Across Africa” (which is also the title of our seventh book).
DeAfrica has been instrumental in breaking educational barriers by providing accessible, high-quality online learning to thousands of students. This book outlines our innovative approaches—integrating technology into education, addressing digital literacy, and ensuring equitable access to skills training.
To build a thriving Africa, we must skill, reskill, and upskill our workforce. That is the gap I am committed to bridging.
You talk so much about education, when you look at Africa today and Africa at the time you were growing up, what is going right and what seems to be missing in terms of aligning education with global development trends?
While there have been advancements, significant challenges remain. Many education systems across Africa are rigid, with a heavy focus on theoretical learning rather than practical application. This disconnect limits students’ ability to compete in a rapidly evolving job market.
To align education with global development trends, course content must be dynamic, market-driven, and continuously updated to reflect emerging industries and business models. A more adaptive and skills-based education system will better prepare students for the realities of the modern world.
DeAfrica has been instrumental in breaking educational barriers by providing accessible, high-quality online learning to thousands of students
Let’s talk about DeAfrica, what motivated you to create it and what are some of its achievements or success stories you can share with us ?
Education changed my life. My father instilled in me the value of learning, and despite the challenges, I saw firsthand how education can uplift individuals and communities.
After traveling to over 44 African countries, I witnessed firsthand the gaps in access to quality education—gaps that, if properly addressed, could reduce poverty and create sustainable jobs. Africa is full of resourceful, hardworking, and talented people. However, without the right education and training, their potential remains untapped.
Education is not just a right; it is an imperative. Practical and accessible learning can provide solutions to our continent’s most pressing challenges. This belief led me to establish Distance Education for Africa, a platform committed to providing quality, flexible, and skills-oriented education to empower Africa’s next generation.
While institutions like the African Virtual University have made efforts, they haven’t fully closed the gaps. That’s why I asked myself: How can we provide a brighter future for Africa’s youth? How can we leverage technology to transform lives? DeAfrica is my response to those questions.
SUCCESS STORIES
The scholarship has equipped students with essential, market-relevant skill sets, enhancing their problem-solving abilities, job readiness, and overall employability.
Furthermore, many students have reported that they have already begun applying what they learned from the Darden School of Business, seeing immediate positive results. Their newly acquired knowledge has enabled them to offer practical solutions to real-world challenges in both their professional and social environments.
1.MALAWI
DOMINIC TEMBO
Business consultant
1.A case in example of Dominic Tembo from Malawi who after finishing Design thinking for Innovation managed to apply the Visualization tool to a struggling local beverage company, thereby helping it explore new possibilities to stay afloat.
Dominic is a consultant offering business development services. Recently he was contacted by a company which he helped to register in Malawi in 2015, as a manufacturer a line of carbonated soft drinks. The company intended to relocate to another country with a promising market.
Ultimately the company was closing down citing poor sales resulting from low purchasing power. It was further stated that the company is generally facing very slow growth and they have not been able to cover operational costs. Looking at the available data one could hardly conclude that the poor sales was a result of low purchasing power. Dominic thought of sitting down with the management convincing them that they could work together to find a solution that could save the business. Dominic Tembo proposed for team of 8 employees, 4 from strategic positions or 4 from operational positions which he could work with to look at the elements that could attribute to the problem space.
Selection
The tool adopted was visualization or visual thinking to achieve a common understanding of the problem space prior to identification and definition of probable answers to the existing problem. By using visualization tool as learnt in lecture 1, with employing inductive reasoning they were able to think about possibilities that they had not yet seen. The choice of visualization was motivated by the fact that a conclusion to the problem was already reached therefore it was necessary to open up to new unlimited possibilities to reach the cause to the problem. Visual thinking gave Dominic and the team a wide room to consider all possible answers or ideas and minimize the risk of omitting important ideas or solutions in the problem space.
Application
The 8 participants were first put at around table with whiteboard in front for mind mapping. As learnt in lecturer 2 about preparing your mind, it was necessary to encourage every participant to be free from the decision made by management and open up to novel ideas that can tested. To achieve this everyone had to agree that there was a problem but no one knows the exact problem and the issue of low sales was just a sign to a problem.
To understand the context of the problem space Porter Five Force Model was used. The model was graphically presented to identify on higher level the force(s) with higher influence in the problem area. Those with higher influence were isolated ad were used to develop a stakeholder mapping. The stakeholder mapping is an important step to understanding who the key stakeholders are, where they come from and what interest they have in relation to the business. Stakeholders with unpredictable influence on the business were again isolated from the rest. Using brainstorming as a tool for idea generation as learnt in lecture 4 the two groups exhaustively looked at the behaviors of each stakeholder in line with the problem space. The behaviors or characteristics of
the stakeholders in the problem space were mapped in relative terms to the business performance. This session took 30 minutes. Then the 8 participants were grouped into two strategic and operational with respect to their positions. In the second session which was a 15 minutes session required the participants to answer questions on a piece of paper which was shared to them. They were told not to put their names on it. This was done to encourage participants to use their emotional intelligence. The questions used in this activity were; (i) who are the key stakeholders of the company, (ii) what interest do they have on the business, (iii) Why do you think they have such interest (iv) How have the company anticipate and met their expectations (v) what could be done to improve on delivering expectation.
Insight and Approach
It was an intriguing exercise with unpredictable results. The exercise revealed that there was no single answer to the cause of low sales. The first session results showed that the elements that were more customers-centered. The second session results had an internal focus. The elements that were highlighted attributing to the problem
space was more of employees’ motivation and capacity to perform their duties efficiently and effectively. The graphical representation on feedback reinforced a shared perspective of the attributes to the problem space.
Elements that would have likely been overlooked in traditional methods to problem solving were uncovered and considered. Given that implementation of some of the new insights will require prototyping and testing of new work-flow processes, the best approach would be learning launch.
This course has been very instrumental in broadening the way he thinks and approaches problems and deriving on a particular solution. The platform has been very convenient to his schedule as it so flexible and offered an opportunity for back-and-forth learning. This afforded him to get more insight from the course content and possibility of extrapolating the content to the context of real world.
He thanked DeAfrica, University of Virginia and Coursera, for giving him this wonderful opportunity!
Distance Education For Africa (DeAfrica) celebrated its sixth Annual graduation ceremony in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on May 21, 2022
2.UGANDA
AMPAIRE IREEN’S -TESTIMONY
Ireen got to know DEAFRICA through a friends WhatsApp status.
Before enrolling, she felt stuck in a dead-end job with limited opportunities for growth. Ireen enrolled for a two months course of CERTIFICATE IN PROJECT PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT with DeAfrica. But after completing the course, she gained the skills and confidence to land her dream job. She said that the course was incredibly well-structured, with engaging video lessons, interactive quizzes, and practical exercises. The instructor’s expertise and support were invaluable, and the community of fellow learners was motivating and helpful. Thanks to the course, she acquired in-demand skills that made her a competitive candidate in the job market. Within just 2 months of completing the course, she applied for a job at BRAC UGANDA an NGO and she received a call for interview. During the interview the panelists thought she did the course from the University of Virginia (UVA) in the US. She said that she never went physically to UVA. She received a job offer as a Program Assistant Social Empowerment and later on was promoted as Branch manager.
She is grateful for the opportunity to have taken the course and highly recommend it to anyone looking to upskill, reskill, or transition to a new career. The investment of the time was worthwhile.
She kindly requests DEAFRICA to always bring such courses to help the youth learn and gain more skills. She thanked DeAfrica for building and shaping her.
3.BOTSWANA
1.Amantlle Baratedi from Botswana Created a Digital Transformation Company;
Amantle took the Modern Business Speciation course that is composed of 4 courses
- Digital Transformation
- Design Thinking
- Digital Product Management
- Customer Centric IT Strategy
After the 4 courses, Amantle Baratedi decided to put in good use what she has learned. She turned what she has leant into more concrete, tangible for people in Botswana and beyond.
She created an app that is focused on
- Product development (offer strategies to companies)
- Digital Product Development
- Payment solutions (that is beyond the tradition payment solutions in Botswana
She is now Entrepreneur and a Digital Solutions Consultant
2.Pearl Ndlovu, Boswana works at Botwana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC).
She moved up from the position of Relationships Management at BTC to an Innovation Specialist at BTC.
After her second baby was born, there was not much to be done at home. Her husband encouraged her to enrolled in DeAfrica courses. She started with Project Management, Digital Transformation and Business Strategy.
After she kept taking more DeAfrica courses. She enrolled in our Specialization in Business Strategy.
One day, she went to the Strategy Department of BTC to inquiry what they were doing. The Manager of Strategy Department invited her to come to their regular meetings. While attending the meetings she offered herself as a part time basis and learned more about what the Strategic Department was doing.
Then she enrolled in the Specialization in Business Strategy and took:
- Costumer Centre IT Strategy
- IT Strategy
- Innovation with Business Model Canvas
- Advanced Business Strategy (strategic Formation)
Then, after gaining skills from Specialization in Business strategy, she started shining and she got promoted to become an Innovation Specialist at the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation.
- CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Using a proven distance education model to create lasting economic impact
Gérard LAOULET – YANGUEL
Chef de Service Etude et Développement Informatique
à la Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS)/Bangui(RCA)
Gérard LAOULET – YANGUEL DeAfrica Graduate of 2012 in Bangui, Central African Republic
An alumnus of Distance Education for Africa Computer Security and Web Design and Programming from Laval University in Canada
Gerard Laoulet has a Bachelor’s degree in Administration and Maintenance of Computer Systems. In 2011, Gérad was enrolled in three online training modules from DeAfrica in partnership with University LAVAL in Canada. For each module of the training, learners were awarded a certificate (Java programming, Network security and web application). The knowledge and skills acquired during this course played a very important role in his profile as a professional developer that he is today.
Also, this training allowed him to be distinguished and gave him the upper hand in the job search market, to be recruited and to make a career within the current company where he is currently working. Today, Gérard leads a team of seven (7) developers and they are working on the development and implementation of a social security management application system.
This application manages the registration of all workers in the country’s private sector, the collection of their contributions and the management of benefits divided into three products (Family allowance, Work accidents – Occupational diseases and the AVID Pension). The stake of this application on the institution is estimated at several thousands of billions of CFA francs and has also made it possible to improve the quality of services to users.
In terms of depth and scope, how vast is the spread of the educational programs of DeAfrica?
The Africa Scholarship Cohort (ASC), the flagship program of Distance Education for Africa (DeAfrica), began in 2016 with just 100 students from seven African countries. With each new course, more participants from additional countries joined, expanding the program’s reach.
To assess the program’s impact, seven courses were randomly selected and analyzed, providing statistical insights. Rosette Melikian, Senior Director of Data Science and Advanced Analytics in Washington, D.C., identified a total of 52 unique countries represented in those 7 courses. The top ten countries with the highest participation were Kenya, Botswana, Nigeria, Uganda, Mali, Ghana, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal. Notably, Eritrea and Libya were the only two African countries not represented. They did join later with the help of the DeAfrica Whatsup group.
A gender analysis by course revealed significant variations across countries. In Kenya, Botswana, and Uganda, female participation exceeded 50% of incoming students , with Kenya leading at 80%, Botswana 64%, Uganda 52% , Nigeria 48% , Burundi 46%, Senegal 36% In contrast, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Guinea had male-dominated enrollments, with over 80% of students being male.
Today, we have learners in every single country across the continent, and over 60,000 scholarships have been awarded, creating the largest engaged educational ecosystem in Africa, says Sidiki Traore
The program has created lasting economic impact in Africa and worked to promote gender equity showcasing an equal number of female and male in the published books.
A significant milestone was achieved in August 2020 when DeAfrica reached learners from all 54 African countries. Today, we have learners in every single country across the continent.
To date, over 60,000 scholarships have been awarded, creating the largest engaged educational ecosystem in Africa. We have reached the unreachable, providing students and professionals from diverse backgrounds with access to quality education.
Our courses have benefited individuals across various sectors, including:
• Universities: In Kenya alone, students, faculty, lecturers, and professors from more than 43 universities have participated, along with staff from over 34 government agencies and county governments. Similar participation is seen in Botswana, where over 40 government agencies have enrolled. Hundreds of professionals from the private sectors have enjoyed our courses in Botswana.
• Defense Forces & Air Forces: Including the Ghana Air Force, Kenya Air Force, and Botswana Defense Force.
• Airlines: Employees from Kenya Airways, Mauritius Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and others.
• Banks & Ministries: Government ministries and agencies focused on education, youth, transport, rural development, and more have leveraged our programs for professional development.
• NGOs & the Private Sector: Organizations across various industries have greatly benefited from our courses.
• Correctional Facilities & Refugee Communities: Botswana’s prison system and refugee communities, such as Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda, have also gained access to valuable learning opportunities.
How did we achieve the spread of educational program in Africa? The C0I framework
ONLINE LEARNING USING A COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY FRAMEWORK
The Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework is a theoretical framework for designing exemplary online education experiences. There are three essential elements in this model: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence.
In the African Scholarship Program, cognitive presence is provided through online courses hosted on the Coursera massive open online course (MOOC) platform. Most of the courses have been business courses authored by faculty at the University of Virginia (UVA). Coursera is available through a smartphone application to both iOS and Android devices. Content is downloadable so learners can participate in courses by watching lectures while offline. Typically, a learner must be online to complete quizzes. All Coursera content has methods to access the content regardless of ability.
Social presence is provided through a vibrant community hosted on regional WhatsApp groups. Learners can sign up for WhatsApp groups and go to these groups to get feedback, answer questions, and motivate one another. It is a great opportunity to connect with other participants in the program and stay accountable for completing online course work. DeAfrica graduation ceremonies are one of the most important elements in the Social Presence.
Teaching presence is provided through a network of volunteer regional
mentors; there are almost one hundred mentors across Africa. These mentors individually reach out to participants that are new to the program and who need help navigating the course work and they support those learners as they reach their goals. Typically, mentors have taken several courses in the program and are helping others so that they can get similar value from the program. Many of the mentors have said the program helped them to transform their lives.
Book publications
Nine books have been published to showcase the work done with the scholarship programs. There are four main books and a series of five Business Case Study Handbook.
What kind of programs does DeAfrica prioritize and what is the criteria used in selecting students who benefit from DeAfrica programs ?
Our courses are open to everyone, they are professional development courses. They are University level courses.
Criteria is: access to the Internet and a well-working smartphone or laptop and willing to complete the course. A participant should apply to show interest in a specific program.
We have other specific criteria that depend on the terms and guidelines of the grants avail. DeAfrica applies for those grants.
Moreover, the specific criteria target part of demographics like women only. The applicants can be accessed through social media groups. An example of this type of partnership was between DeAfrica and New Zealand Embassy in Ethiopia and the University of Virginia. That projects run between 2022 t0 2024.
We would like offer many on-demand courses that are market-related such as:
• Artificial Intelligence
• Entrepreneurship courses
• Marketing Management (Certificate in Marketing management
• Digital Marketing (Certificate in Digital Marketing)
• Human Resource Management (Certificate in Human Resource Management)
• Accounting and Finance
• Business Administration
• Business in information technology and related software programs used eg SAP, Tally, excel, et
• Business course (Management, Strategic)
• Cyber security
• Agricultural poultry management
• Short courses in Agriculture
Other in-demand workforce courses may be offered as well.
What are some of the challenges that you have faced in trying to grow and sustain DeAfrica ?
Funding has been our biggest challenge. As you know, it is incredibly difficult to make a non-profit organization sustainable, especially when resources are limited and the demand for impactful programs continues to grow. We do need support in funding.
To institutions, governments, and potential partners out there, what sales pitch can you make to them to consider supporting the work and vision of DeAfrica?
At its core, Echoes of Resilience is about hope. It is about the ability of individuals to rise above circumstances through learning, adaptation, and perseverance. As we continue working to bridge the education gap in Africa, I urge policymakers, educators, and communities to invest in skills-based learning.
A continent rich in potential deserves an education system that unlocks it.
Given the latest developments and the growing challenges in securing financial support, it is imperative that we build a strong network of collaborators and partners who share our vision for a better future. To sustain and expand these life-changing initiatives, we seek financial contributions, strategic partnerships, and in-kind support from those committed to empowering Africa’s next generation. Your support—whether through donations, mentorship, or advocacy—can be the catalyst that transforms lives and creates lasting opportunities. I invite you all to be part of this transformational journey, ensuring that Africans everywhere have access to the hope, dignity, and opportunities that every human being deserves.
LOOKING AHEAD: SCALING IMPACT
What’s Next? The DeAfrica-Pan African Human Infrastructure (PAHI)
DeAfrica aims to create a formal mentorship and networking program called DeAfrica-Pan African Human Infrastructure (PAHI)
Distance Education for Africa – Pan-African Human Infrastructure (DeAfrica – PAHI): A formal networking and mentorship program to catalyze economic growth and job creation across Africa
The proposed project, the De-Africa-Pan African Human Infrastructure (DeAfrica-PAHI), aims to develop and implement a formal mentorship and networking program to foster a community of like-minded entrepreneurs, thereby stimulating job creation and economic growth in Africa.
Given that DeAfrica has provided 60,000 + scholarships – 36% of which have directly led to business creation – the organization is strongly positioned to establish a formal network and mentorship program building on the collective talent and experience of DeAfrica Alumni and associated experts on the African continent. Our aim is to strengthen and fully implement the DeAfrica COI framework to expand the impact of DeAfrica and build a highly active community across Africa where like-minded women and men entrepreneurs can support one another, stimulating economic growth and job creation for women and men in Africa.
With unique access to a robust network of entrepreneurs, we will draw upon the knowledge and experience of successful DeAfrica alumni in the provision of mentorship guidance, strategic advice, and leadership development to DeAfrica trainees. We will connect network members with further education, leadership development, funding and partnership opportunities. We seek to inspire creativity, confidence, and tenacity – and provide a supportive environment for women and men members to overcome obstacles and unlock their leadership and business potential.
Join us in shaping Africa’s future through education and innovation!
*Culled from February Issue of PAV Magazine