Magdaline Chepkemoi

Executive Director at Eldohub

Chepkemoi Magdaline is a computer scientist with a passion to use technology, entrepreneurship and research to solve challenges in Africa, especially in rural areas. Additionally, she has over 10 years' experience serving in different technical capacities as a software engineer, network management system engineer, data scientist and educator at different universities. She also loves building innovation and business ecosystems using ICT for development (ICT4D). Chepkemoi is the founder and executive director of EldoHub, EldoHub's is an education technology platform targeting youth and women, with an aim of preparing them to benefit from the opportunities the digital economy offers and close the skills gap in Africa’s job market.

At Eldohub, she co-designed Sasakazi to respond to barriers to decent employment by supporting youth and women to gain practical work experience and launch careers in the technology sector through job-matching, training on latest tools and technologies, soft skills and 1:1 mentorship by experienced professionals. Sasakazi has 3000+ vetted young tech professionals, where 183 have been successfully matched and completed 140 digital projects for 100+ organizations. 90% t has been hired by the local and international organizations!

She is also the current Chairperson of the Association of Countrywide Innovation Hub, a Network of Innovation Hubs from across the country, currently covering 40 counties with a membership of 80+ Hubs . Chepkemoi holds a master’s degree in mobile telecommunications and innovation from Strathmore University and a degree in Computer Science. In 2020 she led the Great COVID 19 Innovation Challenge, a multi-stakeholder project in partnership with the Ministry of ICT through Konza Technopolis, UNDP, UK Kenya Tech Hub as a project manager reaching over 300 startups.

She also initiated the Regional Innovation Weeks that brought together leading policymakers, innovators, developers, business community and investors from across the innovation ecosystem in 10 regions reaching over 3000 young women and youth across the country, each region selected 15 best startups totaling to 150 of which 100 showcased at the Tech and Innovation Jamhuri organized by the government culminating to the Jamhuri Day.

Chepkemoi was recognized among 20 exceptional “faces of science” in Kenya, as one of the people using science and technology to bring change in Kenya; chosen a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow and won a Business Innovation Challenge for youth entrepreneurs by the USADF; and in 2019, she was selected for the prestigious US Tech Women program and was recognized by the 2019 Anita Borg Pass It On Award and spoke at the Grace Hopper Celebration in Orlando Florida. She is a 2020 e-founder Fellow Program organized by Alibaba Group and UNCTAD.