Rapelang Rabana is the founder and CEO of Rekindle Learning, a learning tech company.
She is also the co-founder of Yeigo Communications, South Africa’s first free VoIP mobile services provider.
Often referred to as Africa’s Marissa Mayer, Rabana has received numerous accolades, including being named an Entrepreneur for the World by the World Entrepreneurship Forum, a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and being named on Oprah Magazine’s “O Power List”.
Her achievements are so remarkable that she made the cover of Forbes Africa before the age of 30.
This is her profile as told by WOA:
Rapelang Rabana’s Net Worth
Rapelang Rabana’s net worth is estimated to be between $2.1 million and $ 4 million. She owns several companies, including:
- Yeigo Communications: Co-founded in 2006, this company was one of South Africa’s first free VoIP mobile services providers, known for developing early mobile VoIP applications.
- Rekindle Learning: Founded in 2014, this learning technology company focuses on improving education in Africa through innovative digital learning solutions that leverage mobile technology.
- Imagine Worldwide: Rabana serves as Co-CEO of this education technology nonprofit, which aims to enhance literacy and numeracy skills among children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- FFWD Innovation: Rapelang is a co-founder and partner at this digital advisory firm, which focuses on helping organizations innovate and scale effectively.
- GrindstoneXL: A structured entrepreneurship development program that supports high-growth innovation-driven companies.
Collectively, these companies have created enough revenue streams to make Rabana a multi-millionaire.
But how educated is she?
Rapelang Rabana Education Background
Rapelang Rabana began her schooling in Gaborone, Botswana, before moving to Johannesburg, South Africa, where she attended Roedean School, a prestigious institution known for its academic excellence.
In 2005, she graduated with honors from the University of Cape Town, earning a Bachelor of Business Science degree with a specialization in Computer Science.
In addition to her undergraduate degree, she also obtained a Master of Science (M.Sc.) from the University of Cape Town, further enhancing her technical and business expertise.
Rapelang Rabana’s Success Journey
Rapelang Rabana was born in 1982 in Gaborone, Botswana.
The daughter of an architect and an engineer, she spent the first 10 years of her childhood in Gaborone before moving to Johannesburg.
In 2006, shortly after graduating from the University of Cape Town, Rabana co-founded Yeigo Communications with two classmates. The company aimed to develop mobile VoIP technology, becoming one of the first firms in Africa to do so.
They created a prototype that laid the groundwork for mobile communication innovations similar to those seen in apps like WhatsApp.
Two years later, Swiss company Tellfree bought a majority stake in Yeigo, providing the young company with the resources and capital it needed to expand.
In return, Rabana became Tellfree’s head of research.
In 2013, she founded Rekindle Learning, focusing on micro-learning to enhance educational outcomes. For instance, they could repackage content that is usually a PowerPoint or PDF file into bitesize learning steps in the form of short videos and interactive questions.
The company also launched English Word Power, aimed at improving English proficiency among students.
Aside from running her companies, Rabana has served as the Chief Digital Officer at BCX, South Africa’s largest telecommunications firm, from 2017 to 2018.
In 2023, she became the co-CEO of Imagine Worldwide, an education technology NGO aimed at improving literacy and numeracy skills among children.
She also sits on the advisory board of Grindstone Accelerator, a South African initiative that assists high-growth technology SMEs.
Additionally, Rabana has been an Ambassador and Juror for the United Nations World Summit Awards, further expanding her connections in the tech and education sectors.
Her mantra has always been “Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime. Expose a man to the internet and you will change his life.”
