Bridgette Avila

Nigerian tech innovator bridging Africa's digital divide through accessible education

Bridgette Avila is a Nigerian software developer and social entrepreneur who has transformed access to technology education across Sub-Saharan Africa through her platform TechBridge. Born in Lagos in 1992 to a family of educators, Avila's passion for closing the digital skills gap began during her studies at Obafemi Awolowo University, where she noticed the stark disparity between urban and rural tech literacy rates.

In 2014, Avila launched TechBridge as a mobile app offering free coding lessons in local languages like Yoruba and Igbo. The platform uses a gamified learning system with offline capabilities, allowing users to continue learning without internet access. By 2020, the app had reached over 1.2 million learners in 15 African countries, with a 70% retention rate - three times the industry average.

Avila's 2017 initiative CodeCaravan brought mobile classrooms to rural areas, training over 50,000 youth in digital skills through partnerships with schools and NGOs. These programs have produced 1,500+ certified developers, 30% of whom now work in tech jobs earning above Nigeria's average wage.

In 2019, Avila pioneered Africa's first blockchain-based credentialing system for tech education, enabling employers to verify skills certifications instantly. This system has been adopted by 80+ multinational companies including IBM and Microsoft for their African hiring processes.

Avila's advocacy led to the 2021 launch of the Pan-African Digital Skills Alliance, a coalition of governments and tech firms working to train 10 million Africans in digital skills by 2030. The alliance's initiatives include providing low-cost laptops and internet access to underserved regions.

Her work has been recognized globally, including a 2020 MIT Inclusive Innovation Fellowship and a 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 award. Avila's TED Talk "How to Close Africa's Digital Divide" has become required viewing in tech policy circles worldwide.

In 2023, Avila announced plans to expand TechBridge into an AI-powered learning ecosystem with a focus on emerging technologies like blockchain and quantum computing. She aims to make Africa a leader in the next generation of digital innovation through equitable access to education.