mHub was launched in 2014 in Lilongwe, Malawi with a working space in Blantyre, Lusaka, Zambia. It aims at equipping the youth with professional skills by leveraging technology to find solutions to problems affecting development. The youth and women receive training on digital skills and software development. The centre also has a coding and robotics club for children and develops technology solutions for clients.

In 7 years, mHub has facilitated over 1 million USD in financing to emerging entrepreneurs creating more than 950 jobs and impacting over 5,000 people in diverse value chains. mHub also runs the Women’s Economic Empowerment Program. The program seeks to support women entrepreneurs in six districts with financing, branding, business development, and mentorship with funding from UN Women. mHub’s ambition is to become the leading ICT think tank in Malawi and the region.

Rachel Sibande holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College. She also gained a master’s degree in information science theory, coding, and cryptography from Mzuzu University in 2007 and a Ph.D. from Rhodes University in 2020.

In 2016, Rachel became Malawi’s Ambassador of the Next Einstein Forum Initiative which promotes Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). In 2017, she became one of 14 youths who were honored by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi at Egypt`s first World Youth Forum (WYF) for her innovation. Rachel joined Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) at United Nations Foundation in September 2017 as Program Director of Data for Development, supporting health and food security projects in African countries.

She also founded Earth Energy, a company that focuses on generating electricity from maize cobs. The initiative seeks to establish rural microgrids that can lead to a sustainable livelihood.

In 2016, Rachel led as an ICT expert in the Zambian general elections. Also in 2019, she played an important role in Malawi’s general elections by creating a monitoring system called 'Maso Athu'(Our Eyes).  Since 2020, she has been a senior director at Country outreach (Africa) for the United Nations Foundation, with the mission of supporting African countries in their digital transformation.

Due to her commitment to the development of ICT in Malawi, Rachel Sibande was ranked by Forbes among the 30 most promising African entrepreneurs under 30 years old in 2016. She also received the « Women of Vision Award » from the Anita Borg Institute.

Reference

Information from http://africawomenexperts.com/lng/en/2022/09/rachel-sibande-the-computer-scientist-who-wants-to-stimulate-it-innovation-in-malawi/ and https://mhubmw.com/ was used in this story