By Ebele Orakpo

ABEOKUTA, Nigeria — In the bustling capital of Ogun State, a new wave of tech talent is quietly reshaping the global digital landscape. Leading this charge is Azzim Aina, an Abeokuta-bred senior product designer and technology entrepreneur leveraging artificial intelligence to solve critical gaps in education, financial governance, and cyber security.

The spark of innovation

Aina’s journey from studying Oracle SQL in Abeokuta to collaborating with international, multidisciplinary teams was born out of personal frustration. Like millions of online learners, he noticed a massive gap after completing digital courses: understanding a concept was easy, but confidently explaining it to others was not.

Realising that solving deep systemic problems required building independent products rather than just delivering client designs, Aina launched SkillTeach.

Unlike industry giants like Udemy and Coursera, which focus strictly on content delivery, SkillTeach uses AI-powered simulations to help users apply what they already know. Users can practice teaching, participate in mock job interviews, and rehearse business pitches while receiving instant, structured feedback.

“SkillTeach does not replace conversational tools like ChatGPT,” Aina explained. “While conversational AI assists users in generating information, SkillTeach evaluates communication performance in realistic scenarios, providing personalised coaching that develops practical speaking and interpersonal skills.”

Rapid expansion

The platform has quickly scaled to include specialized tools. Its Interview Practice serves job seekers, Pitch Mode empowers fellow innovators, and a novel Build Project feature helps university students generate structured research outlines tailored to their specific institutional guidelines.

But Aina’s ambitions stretch beyond education technology. He is the co-founder of Transpendly, a financial transparency platform developed to help organisations, and businesses monitor expenses, manage verification workflows, and publish transparent accountability reports to strengthen societal trust.

Security by design

At the core of all Aina’s platforms is a rigid stance on cyber security. Rather than treating security as an afterthought, he integrates strict security monitoring, audit logging, and compliance directly into the foundation of his products.

He firmly believes that the future of digital innovation sits at the intersection of AI, thoughtful design, and robust cyber security.

“The best innovations are not those with the most complex technology,” Aina said. “They are the ones that make people’s lives easier, build trust, and solve problems that genuinely matter.”

As he continues to build tech solutions that originate from Africa, Aina remains focused on ensuring his work leaves a lasting, global impact—empowering individuals while strengthening the institutions that support them.