As part of The Makerspace Foundation, I had the opportunity to teach branding and digital skills to a group of passionate individuals. The Makerspace is a non-profit organisation that thrives on unlocking the latent potential within marginalised communities, empowering them to not only participate but also succeed in a “bottom-up economy”. We aim to work collaboratively and creatively, leveraging technology to create tangible change in underdeveloped regions.
Klaus Schwab’s concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has reshaped the way we work and live, giving more people access to the tools they need to join the maker movement. In this program, participants were trained to embrace that ethos—finding value in crafting by hand, blending cutting-edge technology with traditional methods. These makers weren’t focused on mass production but on creating meaningful, well-designed products for niche markets.
My role was to equip these individuals with marketing skills that would help them transition from unemployment to entrepreneurship or a career in the 3D printing and solar industries. The program, funded by the United Nations Development Project, enabled participants to reimagine their futures. It was rewarding to see how collaboration could truly unlock new opportunities. I had them taking photos, drawing logos, running Facebook campaigns, leveraging AI and more. Bear in mind that this was a group of unemployed, previously disadvantaged people with almost no computer literacy heading into the programme.
Off the back of the program, DIO Media was brought on board to brand and build the website for Make Africa—a 3D printing network born out of the very participants I had the privilege to teach.
It was really cool to watch people go from unemployment to either employment or self-employment over the course of just a few months.
