LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
9ijakids, an affordable online learning tool that provides African children with access to high-quality educational content
Titi Adewusi is one of the co-founders of 9ijakids, an affordable online learning tool that provides children access to high-quality educational content through fun and engaging online games. Titi is an Engineer by training and a Management Consultant by experience, having worked with one of the Big 4 for over a decade before starting 9ijakids with two of her sisters. 9ijakids, which launched in 2918, has received several awards, both local and international. The business has created jobs for 24 people. Titi is also one of the conveners of Africa’s largest STEM gathering for children to spark a love for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in children aged 7-15 years through career talks, experiential STEAM activities, and games, which has taken place in Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda and Zambia
Lioness Weekender spoke to Titi Adewusi about her passion for STEM, her vision for 9ijakids, and her ambitions for the impact it can make on children’s education and future development.
What does your company do?
At 9ijakids, we are passionate about empowering African youths and helping to reduce poverty by providing access to affordable, quality education via its gamified online learning platform for nursery, primary, and secondary school students in Africa. 9ijakids platform uses the power of games to motivate and captivate young learners by promoting regular practice, deepening their understanding and enhancing their skills.
We believe the possibilities are endless for using gamified learning to empower African youth effectively and effortlessly. We’re going beyond the typical subjects and looking at specific topics that will make a difference outside the classroom, like financial and digital literacy, so we have a crop of young Africans with the skills needed to succeed in the future workplace.
What inspired you to start your company?
The idea for 9ijakids (pronounced “nine-ja kids”) came to me when I discovered I could motivate my younger son, who had a natural flair for games but did not enjoy academic activities, to do homework by turning it into a game. “He was my driving force for starting 9ijakids.”
“We knew we were onto something when my son came home from school and asked, ‘What’s the next game on? Can you do one on fractions?’”. “It showed me he wanted to succeed and was enjoying learning using something he loves (playing games), and that’s when we really got excited.”
For less than US$1 per month, children of low-income parents can use the 9ijakids website or app to gain math, English, science, etc., skills through self-paced quizzes and games aligned to the national primary school curriculum.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
One key thing that makes our business and product stand out is affordable, localized, world-class content. Subscribers can access the educational content at less than $1 per month. They also have the added flexibility of using their airtime to pay for subscriptions.
Another advantage we have is that we take a holistic approach to learning – so it is not just academics but 21st-century skills like financial literacy, digital literacy.
Tell us a little about your team:
The management team is an all-female-led founder, which means we have a female CTO, which is unusual in the Edtech space. My co-founders are actually my sisters – and it's incredible how we complement each other strengths and weaknesses. 36% of the team are women – we are always looking for women to join the team.
At 9ijakids, we believe that charity begins at home. As a learning organisation, we boast of ensuring that we develop people. We have an internship program to allow people with little or no skills to come in and acquire skills and knowledge. Our internship also allows us to take secondary and university students for various durations.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
It's interesting; I never thought I would run a business. My mother had a full-time job but always had something on the side – so I will say my first glimpse of entrepreneurship came from her. I started my first business at university, teaching people how to use a computer. Even in secondary school – I did a lot of trade by barter to teach my classmates subjects they were struggling with. After leaving corporate, I went to work with an entrepreneur who started a fast food business – and that is really where my entrepreneurial journey cut its teeth.
In 2018, I started 9ijakids with the objective of helping children learn anything effortlessly and in a fun way, improving retention. We started with 4 staff, and since then, we have grown to a 25-man team, developed over 300 games, 100 short stories, over 1,500 worksheets, and reached over 150,000 subscribers. We organised various events to promote financial literacy nationwide – reached over 83,000 children and distributed over 6,500 financial resources across 4 countries. Every year, we organize a STEM learning festival, which has grown to over 4,500 attendees and extended to 5 African countries.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
Our aspirations include expanding our reach to impact the lives of 10 million children across Nigeria and other African countries by 2030 through engaging and educational gamification solutions. We desire to equip no less than 5 million children with essential digital literacy skills by 2027, using our gamified platforms to teach and promote critical thinking, financial literacy, computational thinking, and digital problem-solving. We also aim to continue to promote STEM education in Africa by creating culturally relevant and accessible content that encourages interest and proficiency in these critical fields.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
The look of joy on the faces of the children as they play our games and attend our events. The feedback on how it changed their lives – helped them learn or made them want to learn more.
Another source of satisfaction is when everything comes together – seeing the idea come to life – either a new game, a new activity book, or the STEM learning festival.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Just start – it will never be perfect, the time will never be right, and all the factors will not be ideal, but start. Start it small – do a pilot, a trial, or a test run, but just start.
I will also advise joining an accelerator or entrepreneurship program to get you the skills and ensure you have covered the basics – this is too important. I joined a program two years after I started – I wished I had attended the program before starting
Lastly be part of a community of entrepreneurs – don’t do life alone. The help, support, and connections you need are in the community. There is power in community; find your tribe, actively participate, and give back.
To find out more about 9ijakids, contact Titi via email: titi@9ijakids.com or visit the company’s website and social media platforms.
Website: http://9ijakids.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/9ijakids
Twitter: http://twitter.com/9ijakids
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/9ijakids
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ijakidscom
