In a powerful celebration of creativity, grit, and grassroots tech empowerment, the Product Ninja Fellowship has graduated 60 new builders from its latest cohort.

Over the course of six weeks, these fellows, ranging from solo entrepreneurs to NGO operators, learned how to design and automate real-world solutions without writing a single line of code.
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Founded by systems architect and automation mentor Timilehin Makinde, Product Ninja was created to bridge the gap between ideas and execution, especially for individuals outside the traditional tech pipeline.

The programme focuses on equipping people with practical, no-code tools to solve everyday business and community challenges.

“This isn’t just a skills programme. It’s a mindset shift. We’re showing people how to stop waiting for funding or tech teams and start building with what they already know,” Makinde said.

In the just-concluded cohort, participants built everything from: WhatsApp-based inventory systems for food vendors to automated lead trackers for freelance businesses, scholarship application bots for nonprofits and tuition reminder workflows for small schools.

The fellowship combines live mentoring, toolkits, real-world project challenges, and community accountability to help fellows go from zero to building in under two months.

Graduates now join a growing alumni network of over 400 Product Ninja fellows, with over 6,000 community members and 40+ automation projects launched to date.

One graduate, Grace Ekundayo, a freelance HR consultant based in Ibadan, shared: “I came into Product Ninja feeling like I had too many ideas but no way to execute. By the end, I had built a full-onboarding automation system for my clients—something I thought I’d need a dev team to do. Now I feel unstoppable.”

The fellowship’s success stories span multiple industries and sectors, all powered by a shared belief: anyone can build.

With plans to expand into the United Kingdom (UK) through local community partnerships, Product Ninja is now designing micro-bootcamps and in-person events tailored for women-led SMEs, solo creators, and nonprofit teams.

“Tech should be a tool, not a barrier. Our goal is to make building with AI and automation feel as normal as using Instagram or sending an email,” Makinde added.

As the Product Ninja alumni community grows, so does its impact, proof that when you give people the right tools and the right structure, they don’t just build products. They build momentum.
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