In August, SankoLabs, a Fort Worth nonprofit, launched the Remote Ready Program to prepare young Africans for global remote work. Three weeks into the four-week program, Philip Oja, a Nigerian student, posted on LinkedIn: "Scheduling across time zones isn't just logistics, it is respect." This insight exemplifies the program's focus on the soft skills that determine remote work success. Now, SankoLabs is expanding the program to talent platforms and employers beyond its first referral partner, signaling a new phase in its mission to connect African talent with global opportunities.
The Remote Ready Program is a four-week course for adults referred by talent platforms and hiring companies. It includes weekly live calls and the Remote Readiness Simulation, an assessment run at intake and near completion to measure progress. The rubric covers asynchronous communication, digital presence, remote tools, time zone discipline, and independent work. SankoLabs also runs an eight-week Youth Bootcamp for ages 16 to 18, starting in Ghana and Nigeria. The first adult intake drew 42 applications in under 24 hours.
The gap SankoLabs addresses is not a lack of training. Nigeria's national digital skills program has trained over 135,000 people, but placement remains a challenge. Between 30 and 60 percent of offshore remote hires fail probation, often due to non-technical issues. SankoLabs Co-Founder and CEO Michael Omokoh explains, "In Africa we want the luck... What I kept seeing is that the opportunity comes and we cannot take it, because we were not prepared for it." Co-Founder and COO Peter Sey adds, "The right preparation at the right time changes everything."
Graduates receive an evidence bundle including an optimized LinkedIn profile, recorded introduction, graded work and process artifacts, a mock interview, and a structured availability statement. "We are not a placement company," Omokoh says. "We get you ready for it, and we give you the evidence so you can go and get it yourself."
The demand for such prepared talent is evident. A US talent platform CEO and early SankoLabs partner says, "If you told me right now you had ten people ready to go, I would talk price and take them, because I need ten people right now." SankoLabs is seeking partners among talent platforms, staffing firms, and remote-hiring companies. For partnership inquiries, visit https://www.sankolabs.com/partners. The Youth Bootcamp is donor-funded; to support curriculum, data stipends, and mentorship, see https://www.sankolabs.com/#support.
This expansion matters because it offers a scalable solution to the global remote talent shortage by providing vetted, job-ready candidates. For employers, it reduces hiring risk; for African youth, it opens doors to economic opportunity. As Omokoh says, "The talent was never the question. The proof was. That is the part we built."
