Broadcasting
The Tezza Academy Story: A software academy promoting Nigeria as the world’s skill factory
By Jide Modele, Managing Partner, Tezza Business Solutions
Tezza Academy started in November 2020 and it evolved from what was known as Tezza Boot Camp. We set up a boot camp to help introduce young IT professionals to the field of software testing.
The objective was that, by training them to become certified software testers, we will place them in a Mentoring Program where they shadow experts for about two months of professional field experience; and then they start their careers as testers.
However, in our bid to grow our consulting practice in software testing and product development, we realized that all our clients were faced with the same problem, being the dearth of highly skilled professionals leaving the country for emerging opportunities abroad. At this point, we figured that the boot camp will just not cut the demand, as our clients need highly skilled professionals.
So my partner and CEO Roland Omoresemi decided what we needed was to evolve the boot camp into an academy, where we have a more robust and multidisciplinary curriculum that looks beyond just the software testing skill set but one that comprises IT domains that we specialise in and ensure we build a team of well-focused competent professionals who can serve our clients in all our operating regions in Africa and the US. It was this vision that gave birth to Tezza Academy in November 2020.
Tezza Academy is currently training the second set of professionals to be admitted into the Academy. The first set which was a mix of trainees from Nigeria and Kenya completed a three-month training program in multiple domains such as Software Quality assurance, Customer Experience management, Test Automation, Software Development Engineering in Test, Performance Testing, Test Data Management, Agile practice, Java Script development, The Consultant Mindset, essential pillars of leadership amongst others. Our goal was to ensure that all our trainees were exposed to about the same level of training, then they now chose their areas of specialization.
Strategic Placements – Addressing the ‘unemployability’ challenge
In terms of success stories, every single one of the 20 trainees who went through that first class has been fully engaged at a client site as a practicing consultant. As a matter of fact, their placements occurred before they graduated from the academy. We have consultants from that class solving problems for clients in the US, Kenya and Nigeria with exceptional client feedback.
One of the significant value propositions, of Tezza Academy is to make sure all our trainees live, breath, eat, learn and develop within the same facility under one roof. This creates an environment where they challenge and develop themselves and create a harmonized culture. Part of what we do at the Academy is not just train them on technology skills, but expose them to the core ethos of how we do business at Tezza and promote a healthy curiosity mindset which is valuable in helping our clients attain optimal value. At Tezza Academy, we breathe our core, value system, standard operating procedures into our trainees, and make sure they they Learn It, Know It, and Own It. This becomes a fundamental aspect of their professional practice.
Through this, everyone in the academy knows his or her own strengths and weaknesses. They all know how to back up and compensate for each other when it comes to executing their work. This helps us develop a fused multidisciplinary team capable of providing immediate redundancy for every consultant engaged with our clients. This practice has keenly accelerated the competence levels of our trainees such that we have multiple instances where our graduates start outperforming the people that they were shadowing only a month ago. We have trainees who in less than three months after completing their program, have stepped into managerial roles with our clients.
Those are some of the more fundamental testaments that we have from the Academy. We also have testaments from clients in Nigeria and in the US, who have spoken about the quality of the people who came through the Academy and how they have engaged and created real value for them at their various projects. These are written testaments from our clients attesting to the quality of the people that have come out from the Academy.
Tezza is focused on skill development and professional placements
Tezza Academy has largely focused on just the development of highly skilled professionals and working on placing them with valued clients that need these skill set. In recent times, we started speaking to parties willing to partner with the Academy. People who found out about what we are doing and got interested in helping to develop this vision, expand and scale it, such as the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN). The PFN led a leadership team to the Academy to meet with us and find out what we are doing. They have met with the trainees inside the Academy and they have already made a commitment to partner for the growth and development of the objectives of Tezza Academy, starting this year.
The core importance of the Academy is to develop highly skilled professionals across multiple domains, and have professionals who have multiple competencies. The essence is for us to have a team that can help address the skill gap that we have in Nigeria now and will keep evolving in the years ahead. We also develop custom curriculum to address specific client requirements.
The Academy is less than a year old and we are happy with the quality of professionals that we have been able to develop, the level of engagement, their commitment, and drive towards establishing this vision for building a highly competent subject matter experts here in Nigeria.
One of the fundamental aspects of what we are trying to do at Tezza Academy is not limited to developing competence skill gap, but to build, and address some of the social challenges that lead to the exodus of highly skilled professionals in Nigeria.
One of these social challenges is decent, affordable accommodation and the basic infrastructure required to ensure our youths and highly skilled professionals can be truly engaged and able to practice their career here in Nigeria with stable electricity, internet access, decent and affordable accommodation. Part of what Tezza Academy is putting in place now is providing decent accommodation for those who have graduated from the Academy, such that whilst they are working for Tezza over the next two years after their graduation, they can be engaged and housed in such facilities in comfort.
All these are part of the next steps and the things that the Academy has made a priority. Before the end of the year, we expect that we should be able to get that kick-started.
QUOTES
“In terms of success stories, every single one of the 20 trainees who went through that first class has been fully engaged at a client site as a practicing consultant. As a matter of fact, their placements occurred before they graduated from the academy. We have consultants from that class solving problems for clients in the US, Kenya and Nigeria with exceptional client feedback.”
“Tezza Academy is not just limited to developing competence skill gap, but to build, and address some of the social challenges that lead to the exodus of highly skilled professionals in Nigeria.”
By Seye Folajimi
I start each day with one goal: to be as efficient and focused as possible. A developer’s life is full of interruptions, and without good time management, it’s easy to fall behind. As a Backend Engineer at Moniepoint, I’ve assembled the toolkit that helps me and I believe by extension any technical professional to deliver results consistently.
In this feature article, I’ll share the tools and habits that have practically multiplied my productivity and sharpened my focus on the job.
My Daily Toolbox
I rely on a handful of core tools every day. IntelliJ IDEA and Visual Studio Code are my primary editors: IntelliJ for heavy backend work (it’s packed with features) and VS Code for quick edits or scripting. When testing APIs or debugging endpoints, Postman is indispensable for sending requests and saving environments. For spotting code or configuration differences, I often paste text into Diffchecker.com and let it highlight the changes. And for database work, MySQL Workbench provides a visual SQL editor and schema designer that saves me a ton of time. Dear professional, using the right tool for each task means fewer context switches and a smoother workflow.
Productivity Strategies That Power My Workflow
Beyond raw tools, I use structured habits to stay on track. I break the day into focused blocks and assign each chunk to an activity (coding, reviews, meetings, etc.). This time-blocking approach improves focus by letting me give my full attention to one task at a time. I also apply the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks by urgency and importance; this ensures I tackle critical work first. Rather than flitting between emails, calls, and code, I batch similar tasks into dedicated slots. Some of my core techniques include:
Time Blocking: I assign specific blocks of time for coding, meetings, code reviews, and so on. This means I can dive deep into one task without switching contexts. (For example, I often use 25-minute sprints followed by a 5-minute break – the classic Pomodoro cycle – to keep my mind sharp.)
Prioritization (Eisenhower Matrix): Each morning I list my tasks and sort them by urgency vs importance. The Matrix helps me “do first” what truly matters and “delegate or drop” low-value items. This clarity prevents me from getting bogged down by busywork.
Automation: Whenever I catch myself doing something repetitive, I stop and ask, “Can I script this?” Whether it’s a shell script for routine commands or a CI/CD pipeline for deployment, automation frees up hours. Reducing manual repetition lets me focus on more critical work. Even simple automations (backups, report generation, test harnesses) add up to big time savings.
Notification Discipline: I turn off unnecessary notifications and check email/Slack only at scheduled times. By minimizing interruptions, I stay “in the zone” longer and preserve my cognitive energy.
Building My Custom Focus Extension: The Hot Gate
I even took matters into my own hands by coding a productivity tool from scratch, i called it “THE HOT GATE” .
The “Hot Gate” refers to the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE, a famous event in Greek history. It’s where King Leonidas of Sparta and a small force of Greeks (famously 300 Spartans) held off the vast Persian army of Xerxes I for several days.
The extension:
Blocks distracting websites during deep work sessions.
Organizes tabs to reduce clutter.
Unlocks distractions only during breaks.
I built it using JavaScript and browser APIs. One limitation: I can still turn it off manually. I’m considering adding a restriction to prevent that—but it’s still a local extension. Maybe someday I’ll publish it.
Breaks and Rewards
I’ve learned that smart breaks actually boost productivity. I take 2–4 minute strolls every hour, prompted by reminders from our infrastructure team. It’s refreshing and clears my head.
After big wins (like deploying a major feature or solving a tough bug), I reward myself—whether it’s a nice meal, a movie night, or just a chat with friends. These rewards keep me motivated and prevent burnout.
Wrapping Up
In my experience, combining the right tools with disciplined habits is what unlocks consistent high performance.
I’m constantly refining my setup—automating repetitive tasks, organizing my schedule better, and building systems that help me stay in the zone.
At Moniepoint and beyond, delivering quickly and reliably takes more than just code. It takes systems thinking, self-awareness, and the discipline to evolve your workflow over time.
By adopting these practices, I’ve become both more productive and more fulfilled. And I’m hoping the story is same or at least similar for you after reading this.
Seye Folajimi is a backend engineer with Africa’s fastest growing financial institution, Moniepoint Inc.
This summer, London’s West End will transform into a vibrant showcase of African excellence as TALES (The African Lifestyle Experience) returns with its most ambitious edition yet: Reimagine 2025.
A Luxury Cultural Experience
Hosted at Luxury Promise, 28 Cavendish Square, just off Oxford Street, the event will run from July 25 to August 3, 2025, offering ten days of curated experiences, fashion-forward storytelling, and cultural immersion.
With over 70 curated brands spanning fashion, beauty, art, music, and home décor, TALES 2025 will spotlight Africa’s brightest creative talents and celebrate craftsmanship across the diaspora.
Key Highlights
- Exclusive African Fashion & Craftsmanship Discover one-of-a-kind pieces, from bold fashion in traditional textiles like Aso Oke, Adinkra, and Bantu, to luxury handmade beauty products and bespoke interiors.
- Fireside Chats with Industry Icons Intimate conversations with trailblazers and tastemakers exploring the future of African entrepreneurship, culture, and design.
- Kidpreneur x The Veteran A standout feature returns, bridging generations of innovation by spotlighting rising Gen Z entrepreneurs alongside industry legends like Gloria Ije Anyaehie-Coker, founder of GIA1 Fashion.
- Exclusive Travel Offer with Air Peace TALES is partnering with Air Peace to offer a 15% flight base fare discount for brands and attendees flying to London, strengthening connections within the diaspora.
A Global Movement Powered by Bellafricana
Backed by Bellafricana, a platform empowering African creative entrepreneurs across 18+ countries, TALES champions authentic African stories, craftsmanship, and visibility on the world stage.
Supported by the City of Westminster
The City of Westminster proudly supports TALES 2025, reinforcing London’s commitment to diversity, innovation, and inclusive cultural celebration. The event will be featured across Oxford Street’s Instagram and website, ensuring maximum visibility.
Why It Matters
Following the runaway success of TALES 2024, which featured 40 brands and attracted a global audience, Reimagine 2025 raises the bar. As London’s fashion and cultural scene increasingly embraces diversity and authenticity, TALES 2025 is a timely and necessary celebration of African brilliance.
Whether you’re a fashion enthusiast, culture lover, or global tastemaker, TALES 2025 is where Africa’s future-forward creativity meets London’s cultural heartbeat.
Event Details
Venue: Luxury Promise, The Corner Showroom, 28 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0DB 
Dates: July 25 – August 3, 2025 
Admission: FREE — Registration required at
Bolt, Africa’s leading ride-hailing platform, hosted its Bolt Family Fest in Lagos to honour driver loyalty, reward top performers, and strengthen community ties within its driver network.
As Bolt’s largest market in Nigeria, Lagos served as the ideal location for this vibrant celebration of excellence and shared growth.
The event recognised and rewarded some of Bolt’s longest-serving and still-active drivers, who have been with the platform for 7 to 8 years since the early days when Bolt was known as Taxify.
These veteran drivers were specially recognized and rewarded, each receiving a cash award of ₦200,000 in appreciation of their commitment to the platform and consistent service delivery.
In addition to honouring loyalty, the Bolt Family Fest provided a platform to scale up vehicle branding efforts in the city.
The on-site branding process was made easy and accessible for drivers, while attractive incentives including branded merchandise, gift bags, and raffle entries encouraged participation.
A key highlight of the day was a lucky dip giveaway, where two lucky drivers, one newly branded and one previously branded each walked away with a brand-new SmartTV.
Osi Oguah, General Manager, Bolt Nigeria said: “Our drivers are the heart of everything we do at Bolt, and this event is our way of saying thank you for their dedication and professionalism. We’re not just building a platform, we’re building a family.
“The Bolt Family Fest is about creating moments of connection and showing our drivers they are seen, appreciated, and celebrated.”
The event delivered multiple wins for Bolt including increased the number of branded vehicles in Lagos, enhanced Bolt’s street-level visibility across the city and strengthened the sense of unity and pride within the driver community.
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