“I still remember the first time I saw a computer. Not in my classroom in Nkambe, we had none, but flickering on a screen in a borrowed movie. Children my age, worlds away, clicking and typing, while I watched in fascination. “You are the leaders of tomorrow,” our teacher would say, her voice filled with hope as she wrote on our worn chalkboard. I would listen, imagining myself as a teacher just like her someday. Leaders of tomorrow indeed. We even sang it in songs..one of my favorites ended in “young people, bravo”. It made us feel inspired.

Throughout primary and secondary school, I followed the traditional path, focused on becoming a teacher. I had a passion for economics as a subject, so I intended to become an economics teacher one day, perhaps. Other than my love for teaching, I liked the idea of starting up things by myself and economics just fascinated me. I love how businesses operated and dreamt of one day owning my own. There was one loophole, I was terrible at Math, and nobody told me that I needed Math to study economics in the University. So years later when I would apply for it, I get rejected.. ended up studying Public Administration instead. It wasn’t until near the end of my university years that technology captured my imagination. I then enrolled in a MERN Stack bootcamp for 3 months, July – October of 2022, as an after school program. That same month of October, I got my first web dev job. The spark came late, but it burned brightly. After graduating and experiencing the tech world firsthand, I realized how much our education system was missing. Children were learning about the history of slavery and how early man lived, but not how to navigate the digital future that was rapidly approaching.

That’s when Giiyo Technologies was born, March 2024. The name “Giiyo” comes from my late great grandfather’s name, connecting our work to my heritage. But it also carries a special meaning in my mother tongue, Limbum, translating to “do yours.” This philosophy came to me several years after entering the tech field, when I understood the importance of focusing on your own path rather than comparing yourself to others. Giiyo represents the principle of embracing and celebrating others’ achievements without envy or sabotage, but rather by concentrating on doing your own best. It’s about creating your own journey.

Now, I’ve become the teacher I always wanted to be, but teaching something revolutionary. Every time a child from a village like Nkambe creates their first digital project, I see the future taking shape. These students aren’t just learning skills, they’re becoming the leaders of tomorrow with tools that can actually transform their communities. The journey from my university revelation to founding Giiyo Technologies wasn’t immediate or easy. But each step shaped the vision that now drives us to reach children across Cameroon and beyond.

This is my story, but it continues in the bright minds of every child who discovers, through Giiyo, that the digital world isn’t something that happens elsewhere, it’s something they can build, shape, and lead.”