AfricArena’s Mandilakhe Somdle sat down with Sasha Knott, founder and CEO of Job Crystal, to unpack her journey of building one of Africa’s pioneering AI-driven recruitment platforms, her mission to reduce unemployment, and the future of hiring on the continent.

When Jeffrey Uzoka lost a property sale years ago because a client couldn’t get a clear picture of the apartment layout from static photos, he realized something was broken in how African real estate was being sold. That moment of frustration later became the spark for MandatesVR, a Lagos-based startup transforming property sales with immersive virtual reality (VR) and AI-powered visualization tools.

This October, AfricArena will host the first-ever Togo GRIT Summit (29–30 October 2025) in Lomé, marking a milestone not only for Togo but for Francophone Africa at large. The summit represents a bold step in our mission to strengthen Africa’s innovation ecosystem by bridging regions, languages, and markets.