Mylène Flicka, an expert in developing effective digital strategies and high-impact communities, is the founder of Irawo. In 2020, she was named one of the most influential figures in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).
You founded IRAWO. What does it do?
That was in 2015. I realized that there was a real problem with the representation and promotion of young African talent. So I launched Irawo, a community of young African talent, by interviewing the best talent in my country. My vision was simple: to promote African talent. We collaborated with major multinationals such as Facebook, Havas, and MTN. We reached millions of people in more than 100 countries.
In 2020, we decided to help more talented individuals earn a living doing what they love. Today, Irawo defines itself as a company that provides tools, resources, and support to help young Africans monetize their unique skills.
We have enabled hundreds of entrepreneurs and talented individuals to increase their annual income fivefold. We want to become an ecosystem of opportunities for African talent. Our mission is to help 100,000 young Africans monetize their talents by 2025.
Among the entrepreneurs and talented individuals you support today, what profiles are most represented? In what areas of expertise?
For us, a talent is anyone who has a skill they love and would like to make a living from. As a result, we support all types of talents. We have nutritionists, writers, farmers, physical therapists, agripreneurs, architects, restaurateurs, researchers, sports coaches, engineers, and many more. Most of them come from Africa and its diaspora. The youngest talent is 16, and the oldest is 64.
What are the challenges facing young talent on the continent?
Young Africans are talented. But they lack the resources and support to monetize that talent. The information found on the internet is not adapted to the African context. Because of this monetization problem, our talents are not recognized for their true value. They end up giving up after repeated failures. If Africa wants to benefit from the immense wealth that is its youth, we must change this. It is our responsibility to equip the next generation of African talent with the tools they need to succeed in life.
What are your prospects for development? What projects are you currently working on?
We are in the process of expanding our support program, Irawo Taka, through which we help talented individuals transform their skills into successful businesses. Our goal is to reach 1,000 talented individuals by December 2021.
Training young talent is a real challenge in French-speaking Africa. How are you responding to this need?
The world is at a unique stage in its history where talented individuals can build communities, create things, and sell them worldwide without leaving their homes. The means and platforms for monetization are multiplying.
Talented individuals are becoming businesses in their own right. There has never been a better time to make a living from your talent. Even if you live in Africa. Young Africans will need to know how to master these tools in a local context and develop specific skills to build a successful business based on their talents. That's why we offer workshops led by experts in the field to help our community gain skills. Our workshops are highly specific with content that can be put to immediate use.