Anesu Makwasha is a young man of 30 who has ventured into Actuarial Science who is evidence of the great fruits it can harvest. Coach Mallvine managed to have a chat with him and had a chance to hold an interview. The interview below was conducted by Coach Mallvine (CM) and Anesu Makwasha (AM) gave the responses for us to know more about him and benefits of what he does.
CM: Please introduce yourself to our readers.
AM: My name is Anesu Makwasha. I am a Kenyan-Zimbabwean based in Nairobi Kenya. I did my primary schooling at Tangenhamo Primary and secondary schooling at Nyahuni Adventist Secondary. I love numbers and Majored in Actuarial Science in both Undergraduate and Graduate level studies. I believe Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are the solutions that Africa needs to grow and reach our potential in any field.
CM: Tell us more about your business.
Tose Technologies was founded in 2018 and we exist to challenge the boundaries of AI and ML implementation usage in Africa. Our Hobby is Utilizing Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning & Deep Learning, to Unlock the Potential of your Business.
CM: What was your inspiration in starting this business?
We founded the business to create an environment for African Developers and Creatives, to be able to create solutions that will impact the lives of Africans. Our goal was to lower the balance of Tech Dollars from the 90% skew in favor of the whole world against Africa to as low as 50%. When it comes to tech and innovation, we are a large consumer. At Tose, we have a massive problem with that. We believe in Wisdom of the Crowd, co-creation solution driven implementation process. Hence, the name of the business is Tose which is Shona meaning Together. We believe in innovation, implementation and integrity.
CM: Is it not expensive to do exams online for an ordinary student?
AM: Well, it depends on how you value it. If you look at the cost of going to school, coupled with the hours you spend going to and from school, online school lowers the cost of education in the long run. In Addition, Covid-19 pandemic has shown that the world can operate online and develop without meeting each other. So, in summary the value is higher than the cost of online exams.
CM: How safe and reliable is doing exams on an online-platform?
AM: Yes. If you use the right proctoring tools. We have just finished the pilot stage for an online exam proctoring tool that uses AI and ML to monitor student behavior during an online exam. Taona is an Artificial Intelligence platform for online exam-based institutions to ensure that the natural intelligence displayed by their candidates is Accurate.
CM: What are some of the challenges you faced in establishing your business especially in a foreign land?
AM: I would write a whole book on this and still wouldn’t have finished the whole story. The main challenge has been the battle within my soul and heart. The journey of finding out who I am & what I need to be to make the change that Tose should impact on the African Continent. Secondly, on the list was funding as most of our ideas were new and not tangible. But through a strategic partnership with Adapt IT we managed to Launch a new product Taona in the Edu-tech Space. They have been serious ups and done, but with the right mentorship and partnerships we feel like we are on the right track and would work towards expansion and scaling up.
CM: What has kept you in the difficult times?
AM: I had no choice. Given my background, I stood like a naked man and had to walk a path that no one close to me had walked. So, during difficulty times I always looked back and remembered where we were coming from and how far we had come. Also, the smile on my team when we pass a difficulty hurdle.
CM: With ICT being a big industry, where do you see your business in the next 5 years?
AM: We have a 5-point theme for our business:
- 10 million users on all our product.
- Move from a development company but a data company in more than 5 industries in Africa and the World.
- Have impact on the growth of more than 100,000 businesses in Africa.
- Launched Tose Cloud and Set up Cloud servers in Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Kenya.
- Be the biggest Tech Company on the Continent.
CM: What are your words of encouragement to someone out there wanting to start their own business?
AM: Start with a salable product, as one of my mentors always say: Sales + Product = Start Up High. Also, if you are not selling, please stop whatever you are doing and start selling.
CM: Are there any projects you do for your community?
AM: Yes. Mostly free advisory services to Start Ups and NGOs on how automation can serve them some cash.
CM: Please give us your social media handles.
AM: We are mostly active on Linked In right now but here goes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tose-technologies-ltd/, https://www.instagram.com/toseanalytica/, anesu@taona.africa, +254 716 509317
