Freelancing is increasingly becoming a major sector of the workforce worldwide. But several challenges currently plague the freelancing and outsourcing sector, the most prominent of which is seamlessly finding the right clients or talents.
Based in Uganda, Upkazi is a freelance platform founded in late 2023 by Charles Oloya and Stephen Okello. Upkazi connects businesses with freelance talent offering digital services around Uganda and the world, while saving costs of hiring full-time workers. Upkazi’s mission is to change how African works together.
Services provided on the Upkazi platform include Graphics & Design, Programming & IT, Digital Marketing, Video & Animation, Writing & Translation, Music & Audio, Business, Data, Photography, Online Classes & Teaching, Lifestyle and AI Services.
The thought of creating Upkazi came to Charles’ mind after an unpleasant experience where he engaged and worked remotely with an unknown person he met online to help complete a tech project. While it is clear he needed help from an expert for a few days, he didn’t get one. What contributed to the bad experience include lack of online platforms within the region with an end-to-end process for employing remote manpower in a flexible and safe manner.
He added that, many African freelancers struggle to find job opportunities that align with their skills and interests. On the other hand, clients looking to hire freelancers often find it challenging to identify the right person for the job, resulting in a long and inefficient hiring process.
Upkazi aims to constantly enlarge its freelancer and client base until it becomes Africa’s largest freelance platform. Coming soon…
Hellen Atto – Reporting from Kampala, Uganda.
