Ainina Diallo, founder of Trading Versity, has found a niche that could be a significant growth breeding ground for West Africa.
“The Pan-African Stock Market University” is what Trading Versity might call itself. This is the first West African campus dedicated to finance and trading. This structure trains 834 students per year. Created by the former Bank Of Africa banker, Ainina Diallo, himself mentored by the American stock exchange system, the establishment is based in Senegal.
Ainina Diallo: 8 months to create the trading room
It is often said that travel shapes the youth. This was the case with Ainina Diallo, whose background resembles that of the typical entrepreneur. The much-maligned one to whom Professor and Management Consultant Peter Drucker often refers in the book “Entrepreneurs”. “We need a room that is large enough to accommodate young Africans trained in our campus called trading versity,” he says. Then he continues: “the objective is to democratize the stock market and financial universe”. His philosophy: “hard work and a good dose of patience. “We are connected to 53 stock exchanges at the same time,” he says. In other words, you need a campus with a fairly large space.
Regarding access to training, the procedures have been intentionally simplified. “We ask young people to be comfortable with numbers including statistics. Our campus costs 40,000 FCFA per module or 360,000 FCFA for the 9 modules. The campus is accessible online, last year we trained 834 Africans in one year, trained on the platform. The course lasts between 8 and 9 months, composed of 9 different modules punctuated by exams. And following this training, a contract is offered to the learners, ”says Ainina Diallo.
Portfolio management from 30,000 USD to 900,000 USD
When the student joins the trading room, they are put on trial for a year with portfolio management at $ 30,000. Then, depending on his performance, he becomes a manager with a portfolio of 100,000 to 900,000 dollars. And as soon as it is conclusive at manager level with an added value of 5%, 4 times a year, he goes directly to CDI. His fixed salary as a junior is 300,000 FCFA NET, set at 750,000 FCFA net as a manager, and ends at 1,250,000 in premium.
Ainina Diallo’s American course
His passion for finance and trading is not new. It was the subprime mortgage crisis that was the trigger. “Gradually, I became interested in the stock market and then I started my career in 2010 with a bank where I finished portfolio manager,” says our interlocutor. Then he continues: “then in 2015, I resigned to embark on this project”. Ainina Diallo took private lessons with SMB New York for two years at a total cost of 25,000 USD. From this period, he keeps fond memories of the sacrifices made. “I had previously paid for a first module at $ 5,000 – then my family injected as much.” Then, the entrepreneur approached an investment fund in Chicago (USA) to manage a portfolio. “They agreed to give me my chance. And after 4 months, I had a capital of 100,000 dollars! “. But the entrepreneur who defends a notion of social finance sees even bigger things. “I would like to work with several different profiles who can eventually mentor me including Jérôme Kerviel, Kweku Abdoli or even Benoit Rousseau and Thami Kabbaj. I have a feeling that they are campaigning for social development and finance that meets its objectives of inclusive co-development “. As we say, to the best of my mind, hi!
