African Tech Roundup - WeThinkCode’s Dylan Richts on developing South African coding talent and pursuing regional growth
South African Dylan Richts is Head of Partnerships at WeThinkCode, a Cape Town-headquartered non-profit organisation which works with public and private partners to "source and train world-class African digital talent" and provide students with a path to employment within the continent's tech and innovation ecosystem.
Dylan formerly worked for the Mayor of London's promotional agency, assisting global tech companies looking to expand their operations to the UK, as well as London-based tech businesses chasing growth. After spending 5 years away from Africa, he returned in 2017 to work for MEST as a Senior Partnerships Associate and then assumed his current role at WeThinkCode one year later.
Dylan holds International Relations degrees from the University of Pretoria (Honours) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (Master's). He is also co-founder of Tech London Advocates Africa and a WEF Global Shaper.
In this conversation with Andile Masuku, Dylan explains how WeThinkCode's business model differs markedly from its more well-publicised peers, Gebeya and Andela. He also talks a little bit about the organisation's Pan-African growth aspirations and about the challenges of scaling their model.