Ethiopian startup Gebeya, which trains software developers and connects them to jobs, is to expand into Senegal as it targets West African markets.

Disrupt Africa reported in 2016 on the launch of Gebeya, which aims to graduate 5,000 students in Ethiopia by 2021. The startup launched in Kenya in January of 2017, and has since expanded to Silicon Valley and the UK.

Gebeya creates a self-supporting community that allows African IT talent to thrive through training, hiring, and cultivating. The startup aims to create a new type of employee market, linking highly-trained tech professionals with the companies and startups that need them.

The startup has announced plans to expand into Senegal, targeting relatively untapped Francophone African markets. Gebeya chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder Amadou Daffe said the country was a logical jumping-off for the region as a whole.

“Senegal is the ideal landscape for tech companies as it is home to numerous hubs dedicated to tech advancements. The majority of the population is under the age of 25, which signifies energy and capacity to thrive in the economy,” he said.

As the country was the first location for Coders4Africa (C4A), the US-based software and consulting company acquired by Gebeya last year, Daffe has high expectations for Gebeya’s expansion into the country. It intends to train well-equipped and skilled tech professionals and generate job openings in Senegal, placing it at the heart of digital transformation in Africa.

Co-founder Hiruy Amanuel agrees with his co-founder regarding the opportunities Senegal has to offer.

“I’m very excited to continue to explore other countries on the African continent to see what other countries have to offer as far as technology services in the respective sectors,” he said.