Desta Mekonnen

Ethiopian entrepreneur who revolutionized online education in Africa through his tech innovations

Desta Mekonnen (born 1978) is the founder of Alfarouq College and the CEO of Ethio Academy, a pioneering online education platform serving over 200,000 students across 15 African countries. Through his work, he has:

• Developed Africa's first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform tailored for Sub-Saharan learners
• Created affordable digital literacy programs for rural communities
• Established partnerships with MIT and Stanford for curriculum development

His 2015 TED Talk How I Brought Higher Education to Ethiopia's Villages has over 2.3 million views. Desta's innovations have reduced education costs by 70% while increasing graduation rates by 40% in partner institutions. His educational research on digital pedagogy has been adopted by UNESCO's global initiatives.