JacinthForge, a pioneering edtech startup, is harnessing technology to professionalise Africa’s informal sector, empowering artisans to turn their skills into scalable and digital assets.

Founded by Nkwocha Chinedu, the platform is dedicated to building, sewing, welding, carving, and fabricating, often referred to as the backbone of Africa’s informal economy.

He stated that JacinthForge is telling a different story, noting that for years, African edtech has focused on coding bootcamps, remote tech jobs, and corporate upskilling.

He said JacinthForge’s innovative approach is reframing craft as intellectual property, even as he assured that artisans could now earn income not only from physical output but also from digital knowledge assets, thereby expanding their earning potential.

Noting that apprenticeship works, but it’s inconsistent, he said by introducing curriculum design, benchmarks and documentation, Africa moves from informal skill transfer to repeatable excellence, enabling artisans to scale their skills and reach a broader audience.

According to him, a tailor’s pattern-drafting method becomes a structured course, a furniture maker’s finishing technique becomes documented instruction and a leather artisan’s workflow becomes a digital asset.

With a focus on construction, fashion manufacturing, fabrication, repair services and furniture production, Chinedu said JacinthForge aims to improve quality consistency across trades, lower barriers to structured vocational learning, preserve indigenous technical knowledge and expand artisans’ reach beyond their immediate communities.

Chinedu argued that Nigeria, with its youthful population and persistent underemployment, presented a significant opportunity for JacinthForge, where he stressed that the startup was poised to unlock new opportunities for artisans, driving economic growth and promoting African craftsmanship globally.

“We are not competing with coding bootcamps. We are expanding the definition of scalable knowledge. Craftsmanship is precision, discipline and expertise.

“By turning apprenticeship into architecture and skill into scalable knowledge, JacinthForge is making a case that Africa’s next breakout edtech story may not come from Silicon Valley imitation but from digitising the continent’s own mastery,” he said.

As Africa’s digital future unfolds, he stressed that JacinthForge was leading the charge, proving that innovation could come from unexpected places.

With its innovative approach, he said the startup was set to revolutionise traditional trades, empowering artisans and transforming the continent’s economy.

“We are building a structure around skill. If Africa’s digital future is to be inclusive, it cannot be limited to code and corporate careers. It must also elevate the builders, makers, and fabricators who power everyday economies.

JacinthForge is not just a platform; it is a movement. A movement that is set to transform the way Africa approaches craftsmanship, innovation, and economic growth,” he said.

Stating that JacinthForge is a two-sided marketplace, he added “Experienced artisans register as instructors and transform their practical expertise into structured digital courses. What used to be informal demonstrations now become sequenced modules, step-by-step breakdowns, and clearly defined competency outcomes.

“Apprenticeship works. But it is inconsistent. When you introduce curriculum design, benchmarks, and documentation, you move from informal skill transfer to repeatable excellence and without repeatability, skill cannot scale.”