Pan-African digital finance ecosystem Mara has launched the Mara Academy, a new, free pioneering educational online platform that will drive blockchain and digital finance capacity building in Africa.
The Academy, designed and built with Africa-centric course content, will provide lifetime access to all the course resources, including instructor, videos, practice tests, and capstone projects.
While the Mara academy will be accessed by anyone, it’ll be built to educate more Africans, increasing the adoption of digital finance and blockchain technology.
“The education program caters for anyone, anywhere, and at any time. Through an innovative mix of delivery methods, partnerships, and customisable content, we hope to meet people where they are and create communities of like-minded people not only involved in digital finance but cultivating shared interests,” Ms Kate Kallot, the co-founder and chief impact officer at Mara said.
Ms Kallot said the aim is to reach far and wide, beyond the capitals and create a tribe that crosses geographic, financial, and technological barriers.
She said Mara’s mission through the Academy will be achieved through a series of pathways and an innovative curriculum delivery model with chosen partners that will offer Africans - ranging from highly skilled, multi-disciplinary technologists to non-traditional learners - equal access to upskilling, education and a clear path to global opportunities.
Data from Gemini's 2022 Global State of Crypto report indicates that education is the most significant global barrier to digital assets ownership. The fast rise and increased usage of digital assets across Africa and beyond demand empowering Africans with the right skills and tools.
Over 40 percent of Africans are yet to purchase any digital assets due to a lack of trust, apprehension about price volatility, or because they do not understand how to buy and hold these digital assets.
As a result of the lack of education, digital asset scammers have targeted Africans with Ponzi schemes promising to give lucrative returns and deliver above-market returns on staked tokens and yield farming - eroding trust and interest in wider digital finance adoption in the process.
The Academy’s mission is to bridge this gap and serve as the one-stop resource centre to have a holistic understanding of financial literacy, blockchain, NFT, Web3, wealth creation and management.
“The prioritisation of financial literacy in Africa is important and The Mara Academy offers quality education, resources and opportunities to enable them gain the requisite skills needed to diversify our future workforce,” said Chi Nnadi, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Mara.
The Academy’s program consists of three content components including coursework focused on blockchain, developers and digital financial literacy to help learners enjoy self-paced learning, have a better understanding of savings and investment in blockchain and gain digital financial literacy.
Learners will also be educated on budgeting, setting financial goals, investing and wealth management using digital tools.
The Academy will offer simplified free blockchain and financial literacy courses that cater for beginners, intermediates and advanced non-blockchain natives and blockchain natives.
Learners who complete courses will be awarded gold standard certificates that can be shared with prospective employers and professional networks to access well-paying career opportunities.
The educational content will be delivered through the online Academy portal where users can take any course of their choice and earn a certificate.
