He champions innovation rooted in local realities and the promotion of African talent. He firmly believes that Africa has the right to create, share, and monetize its own stories on its own terms.

Robert Djabaku, a Togolese entrepreneur and software developer, co-founded and manages Thesymo, a digital platform designed to help African content creators monetize their work.

Djabaku created Thesymo in 2022 after his mother struggled to find a way to financially support a content creator. This experience highlighted a gap, prompting him to develop a local tool that allows fans to directly support creators through mobile money or bank card payments, ensuring fair compensation.

The platform serves artists, journalists, authors, videographers, and influencers, providing a space for them to publish content, generate income, and engage with their audience without intermediaries. Thesymo aims to foster digital autonomy in Africa and enhance creators' independence. "What we are building with Thesymo is an ecosystem of opportunities for Togolese and also African talents," Djabaku stated.

Djabaku also heads Thesymo Technologies, a company he founded in 2022. This firm assists businesses and individuals with website creation, online visibility development, and cybersecurity services.

Djabaku earned a bachelor's degree in computer programming from the Catholic University of West Africa in Togo in 2019. He began his career in 2020 as a web developer at R-Dev Consulting, an IT company in Togo. In 2021, he joined E-Media, an agency specializing in design and innovation in information and communication technologies, as a full-stack engineer.

By Melchior Koba,

Editing by Sèna D. B. de Sodji