She decided to concentrate her efforts on a largely unexplored field: teaching African languages to children. Her company, Limu Lab, aims to fill an educational gap while promoting local cultures through technology.

Sifiso Danisa (photo), a South African educational technology entrepreneur, is the co-founder and CEO of Limu Lab, a startup dedicated to teaching African languages to children.

Founded in 2020 by Danisa and Sphumelele Sibeko, Limu Lab aims to make learning African languages more attractive, accessible, and modern. Its digital platform incorporates animation, music, gamification, and storytelling, providing an enriching learning experience.

The inspiration for Limu Lab stemmed from Sifiso Danisa's own observation: a scarcity of educational resources in vernacular languages for African youth. The project seeks to bridge the cultural and linguistic gap between young children and their linguistic heritage. The name “Limu,” derived from Nguni and Swahili languages, means “language,” emphasizing the importance of preserving and transmitting mother tongues across the continent.

Limu Lab offers a mobile application compatible with both iOS and Android devices. The app provides a wide array of interactive content, including animated stories, educational games, karaoke, e-books, songs, and hands-on activities. A key feature of the platform is its universe of African characters appearing in short films and educational adventures, designed to allow every child to see themselves represented.

The platform currently offers content in English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, and Sesotho, with regular updates planned to introduce other major African languages.

Danisa earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of South Africa in 2003. She also holds a master’s degree in business management and administration, obtained in 2020 from GIBS Business School (Gordon Institute of Business Science).

Her career began in 2003 at A.P. Moller-Maersk, a Danish transport and logistics company. She held various roles, including customer service representative, before becoming a customer service team leader and process improvement specialist. She remained with the company until 2014.

Melchior Koba