AkiraChix
AkiraChix trains young women across Africa for careers in tech. Through a one-year residential program in Nairobi, students aged 19 to 22 get free housing, meals, and coding skills, then connect to hiring partners in Africa, Europe, and North America. Six months after graduating, they earn a median of $359 a month, nearly triple their non-participating peers.
Challenge
For young women across Sub-Saharan Africa, the tech economy is growing fast, but the door is barely open to them. The region has the highest youth unemployment rate in the world, and young women face an added gender gap: they are far less likely than young men to gain the coding and technical skills that lead to formal, well-paid work.
The result is a mismatch. Many young people who are not in school or a job end up in informal work, piecing together low and unstable income. Six months out from the kind of tech training that could change this, a young woman without it earns a median of about 125 dollars a month. That figure captures the stakes clearly. When the fast-growing part of the economy runs on skills most young women never get the chance to learn, economic independence stays out of reach for a generation of talented women.
Solution
AkiraChix runs a one-year residential program in Nairobi for young women aged 19 to 22 from across Africa and refugee communities. Each participant lives on campus with housing, meals, and wellbeing support, so she can focus fully on learning to code. She builds technical skills on real community projects, plus the professional and personal agency to enter the workforce. AkiraChix then connects her to hiring partners: tech startups in Africa and companies in Europe and North America. Graduates keep learning through short niche courses in AI, data science, and machine learning, which move them into specialized, higher-paying roles. Six months out, graduates earn a median of $359 a month, nearly triple their non-participating peers.
Impact
AkiraChix measures success one way: young women who complete its training land formal tech jobs and out-earn peers who never joined. Six months after graduating, codeHive graduates report a median income of $359 a month, compared to $125 for a control group of non-participants. That gap holds as cohorts grow, reaching 3.3x by June 2024.
The multiple widens as graduates specialize. Those who move into niche roles like AI, data science, and machine learning earn 4.9x more than peers in general roles across all cohorts, with the highest-earning 2024 graduates in data and ML roles reaching $1,900 a month. AkiraChix estimates that a graduate's earnings return 4x the cost of training by year five and 15x by year ten.
Leadership
Linda Kamau | Founder & Executive Director
Drawn from a profile snapshot, Linda Kamau founded AkiraChix in April 2010 and leads it as Executive Director, describing herself as its 'Chief Fixer.' She built the organization to tackle poverty, unemployment and gender inequality in access to ICTs through training, mentorship and outreach for women in tech. She spent nearly nine years as Lead Developer on the Ushahidi Platform, serves on the WISER Girls School board, was a founding working group member of the African Visionary Fund, and completed Stanford GSB's Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship. She holds a BSc in Business Information Technology and has been recognized as an Obama Foundation Leader: Africa.
Leadership team & Board (6)
Zipporah Njoroge | Finance & People Operations Lead
Per a profile snapshot, Zipporah Njoroge has been AkiraChix's Finance & People Operations Lead since February 2015, ensuring financial sustainability and operational efficiency across budgeting, donor funds management, audits, internal controls and people operations. A CPA(K) with an MBA in Finance & Administration and a BSc in Economics, she brings over ten years of financial management experience, including earlier accountant roles at Mvuli Hotels and Metrocosmo Limited.
Kelly Ogutu | Operations Lead
Drawn from a profile snapshot, Kelly Ogutu has led operations and hospitality at AkiraChix's residential campus since March 2021, overseeing kitchen, service, security, housekeeping and maintenance, enforcing safety and compliance standards, and supporting recruitment and major campus projects. He brings 13 years of hospitality experience, including executive chef roles at Zita Properties' Highview Hotel in Tanzania and Superior Hotels Kenya, and trained in hotel and catering management at Kenya Utalii College.
Lydia Oduor | Partnerships & Communications Lead
According to a profile snapshot, Lydia Oduor joined AkiraChix as Communications Lead in April 2022 and has served as Partnerships & Communications Lead since January 2024, forging partnerships across Sub-Saharan Africa, supporting fundraising and donor communications, and leading communication strategies and campaigns. She previously was a PR and Communications Specialist at Compassion International Kenya, a Communications Executive at Levanter Africa, and a communications intern at the ICRC in Nairobi. She holds a BA in Public Relations from Daystar University.
Board
Chilande Kuloba-Warria | Board Chair
Cher-Wen DeWitt | Board Member
Julius Kabangi | Board Member
Last updated: July 2026. This profile was created with the help of generative AI, based on documents and information directly provided by AkiraChix. Profile updates are requested on an annual basis and profiles must be updated a minimum of once every 24 months to remain published.