Nigeria's Data Entry Academy Wins UNDP timbuktoo EdTech Accelerator

Inside Data Entry Academy

Established in 2020, Data Entry Academy runs a 30-day online course that teaches practical workplace software skills, spanning spreadsheets, cloud accounting, invoicing, inventory management and payroll systems. The company says it has trained more than 17,000 learners across Africa, delivering lessons through Telegram and the Teachable platform.

Enrolment requires only basic computer literacy, and its learners include job seekers, entrepreneurs and employees being upskilled by their employers. Both Data Entry Academy and Varsity Scape have previously taken part in the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, which offers selected startups $100,000 in equity-free funding along with advisory support. Data Entry Academy joined the fellowship's second cohort in 2024, while Varsity Scape participated in the third.

Part of a larger continental bet

The accelerator sits within UNDP's broader timbuktoo initiative, unveiled at the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos. The programme aims to mobilise $1 billion over a decade to back 10,000 startups and generate an estimated $10 billion in economic value across Africa. It positions itself as a platform connecting governments, investors, universities and private-sector players.

The initiative currently operates six pan-African thematic hubs, has trained 3,480 innovators and runs 16 University Innovation Pods, with a further 12 planned. As venture capital grows more selective, structured programmes such as timbuktoo and the Mastercard Foundation fellowship are increasingly serving as pathways for African founders to sharpen their products, secure mentorship and build the readiness that investors demand.