Profitable Freelancing Academy: Empowering African freelancers to succeed in the global market

In a time of rising inflation and increasing living costs, acquiring high-income digital skills that pay in dollars has never been more crucial. Yet, even after mastering these skills, many wonder, “How can I make money selling my skills to the foreign market?”

I recently had the chance to speak with the founders of the Profitable Freelancing Academy, Joseph Don and Messiah Ekaette, to uncover the story behind their initiative and its significant impact on the freelancing community.

Messiah recalls their initial meeting: “I met Joseph through a mutual friend, Mr. Isaiah Ibigbemi, in July 2023. Later, Joseph invited me to be a guest on his podcast.”

Joseph elaborates: “I asked Messiah to join my podcast because his story was incredibly inspiring, and I wanted every struggling freelancer to hear it. The podcast went viral, and we began receiving numerous questions from listeners.”

This overwhelming response led to a pivotal moment. Joseph proposed, “I told Messiah, a lot of people need guidance; why don’t we do something about it?”

Though initially hesitant, Messiah reflects, “When Joseph suggested starting the Profitable Freelancing Academy, I was skeptical because I prefer a low-key life and had only mentored a few people before. But I’m glad we took the leap.”

Together, they recorded the course and established the community. Today, the Profitable Freelancing Academy boasts about 1,000 students and numerous success stories.

Freelancing’s inclusivity is one of its most appealing aspects—it’s open to all ages and educational backgrounds. For example, Zainab, a 9-to-5 worker, wife, and mother, shares her success: “After taking the course, I landed a job and used my earnings to buy a laptop, a generator, and install solar panels. Since then, I’ve received various offers.”

Another success story is Onyema, who persisted through 78 job applications. He says, “I finally got the job! A huge thank you to Messiah Ekaette. I had sent out 78 proposals before taking the course. This course showed me how to reach out to clients outside Upwork and improved my pitching skills.”

David, unemployed for five years, also found success after completing the course.

These stories are just a few examples of the many achievements the academy has facilitated. Messiah emphasizes their mission: “Joseph and I are committed to helping young Nigerians with digital skills achieve financial freedom. That’s why we’ve made the academy so affordable that the average Nigerian can join.”

Profitable Freelancing Academy is just one of the many products we are building to support Nigerian and African digital entrepreneurs. There’s more to come.