Chibueze Ikedichukwu Ukaegbu, founder and CEO of LearnFactory Nigeria, is a computer engineer and education advocate who has made it his mission to provide accessible digital education. His journey began at Enugu State University of Science and Technology, where he taught classmates programming. After missionary teaching in Ghana and work with Zinox Technologies, he returned to Aba in 2014 to establish LearnFactory, the first software development hub in Southeast Nigeria.
Overcoming Challenges
For the first three years, only three students paid for training. In 2018, Ukaegbu made all training free. Since then, across fourteen cohorts, LearnFactory has not charged any student, covering costs of instruction, power, and facilities.
Addressing Educational Gaps
LearnFactory tackles two main problems: the gap between university curricula and industry needs, and the late start of tech education. Its internship and fellowship programs, including the Dr. Alex Otti Tech Fellowship and Abia TechRise, equip youth with skills in software development, AI, product management, and more. The EmBED programme introduces coding and STEM in primary and junior secondary schools.
Many facilitators are former beneficiaries who return to give back. The organization has nearly fifty staff working in areas like 3D animation, digital arts, and cybersecurity.
Leadership Philosophy
Ukaegbu leads with humility and a flat organizational structure, emphasizing service. He advises entrepreneurs to prepare for suffering, develop a clear vision, build staying power, and find the right people.
Future plans include expanding into education, health, clean technology, and agriculture, with an AI-focused curriculum.
