How two young men in Tanga built a digital agency from scratch

On a typical afternoon in Tanga, the rhythm of the town is predicta­ble. Shopkeepers wait for customers. Bodaboda riders gather at their usual corners. Conversations drift between football, politics and the pressure of higher living costs.

Inside a one room in the Tanga City Digital Hub with two laptops open and a ring light leaning against the wall, a different kind of work is happening.

Hamza Ali Nasoro is reviewing a content calendar. Beside him, Ram­adhani Karupa adjusts colours on a logo design. A video clip renders in the background. Notifications from a client’s Instagram account light up a phone screen on the desk.

That client is not a private company. It is the Kidijitali Project itself. Today, the two young founders are respon­sible for managing digital content for the very initiative that once trained them. Two years ago, DigiHub Afri­ca did not exist. Before the Training Hamza did not begin as a digital strat­egist. He began as a photographer.

He grew up in Tanga town and built a reputation taking photos for local cli­ents, including a hotel that eventually asked him to manage its social media account. He accepted the task without formal training.

“I did not know it was a profession,” he says. “I just thought it was posting pictures.”

When the hotel handed him the responsibility, he turned to the inter­net. He searched for tutorials. He experimented with artificial intel­ligence tools. He posted content, replied to comments, and learned through trial and error. He charged modest fees, believing the work was simple since it only required internet access and time.

Across town in Makorora, Karupa was navigating a similar path. Known locally as “Karupa Graphics,” he had already been designing posters and social media artwork for football clubs. He also managed their pages, often without separating design from strategy. Clients paid for graphics, not for the invisible labour behind sched­uling, engagement and analytics.

“At that time, I did not understand that social media management was its own service,” he explains. “I thought it was just part of the design.”

Both young men were working in the digital space. Neither fully under­stood its economic value.

The turning point came when they enrolled in the Kidijitali Project, for­mally known as the Digital Skills for Sustainable Entrepreneurship Pro­ject in Tanga City. Implemented by Swahili Digital under the TangaYetu Programme, the project was designed to equip young people with practical digital skills such as social media mar­keting, freelancing, e-commerce, con­tent creation, podcasting, photogra­phy, videography and online business development, enabling them to secure remote jobs or build sustainable digi­tal enterprises.

What struck them most was not the theory. It was the transpar­ency

Trainers did not simply explain branding or digital marketing con­cepts. They projected real client con­versations on screens. They showed invoices. They demonstrated how deals were negotiated. They explained how strategy determined pricing.

For Hamza, the revelation was immediate. “I realised I had been undercharging,” he recalls. “I was doing serious work but treating it like a small thing.” For Karupa, the moment came during a session on social media strategy. “I saw that the account man­agement I was doing could stand on its own,” he says. “It was not just an addition to graphics.”

The training also introduced them to structured proposal writing, digital branding frameworks and the practi­cal use of AI in content creation. For the first time, they understood digital marketing not as a side hustle, but as a business. It shifted their mindset from survival to strategy.

Choosing collaboration over competition

After completing the classroom ses­sions, both young men faced a deci­sion. They could continue working independently, or they could combine strengths. They chose collaboration.

Hamza brought photography expe­rience and strategic thinking. Karupa brought graphic design and branding skills. They recognised that clients increasingly demanded integrated services: photography, video produc­tion, account management, content creation and branding advice.

They founded DigiHub Africa. The name was deliberate. They did not want to limit themselves to Tan­ga. Their ambition stretched beyond Tanzania.

Today, the agency consists of four young professionals. Hamza over­sees proposals, strategy and client accounts, Karupa leads design and branding, a marketing lead approach­es potential clients and builds rela­tionships and a videographer handles shooting and editing.

They are still finalising formal regis­tration, but the structure is clear, roles are defined and Accountability exists. It is no longer an informal hustle, It is an organised enterprise.

From students to service pro­viders

One of their defining milestones came when they were entrusted with managing digital content for the Kidi­jitali Project itself. For the founders, the moment carried symbolic weight.

“It built our confidence,” Hamza says. “When the same project that trained you believes you can handle its content that is something big.”

They now oversee social media planning, visual branding, video pro­duction and digital storytelling for the initiative. The responsibility is signif­icant. The audience includes youth, partners and stakeholders across Tan­ga.

Beyond income, the experience has sharpened their professional­ism. They operate under supervision, receive feedback, and refine their strategies continuously. The class­room lessons became lived practice.

Early struggles

Their biggest challenge remains awareness. In Tanga, many businesses still see digital marketing as optional. Some request detailed strategies and never follow through, others insist on outdated design ideas.

“You can explain everything,” Hamza says, “but some still do not see the value.” Karupa describes moments when clients resisted branding advice.

“You try to educate them, but some­times they think you are interfering,” he says.

Persistence has been essential. They analyses accounts, identify gaps and present evidence-based strate­gies. Gradually, trust is growing.

Income and dignity

The impact is visible at home. Hamza speaks carefully about income growth. It was not a dramatic over­night success. It was incremental stability. After adjusting his pricing and applying strategic frameworks learned during training, his earnings increased. He invested in better tools. He enrolled his son in a private school. “At home, things have improved,” he says.

Karupa has not pursued conven­tional employment since completing the programme. Instead, he leverages freelance platforms to secure interna­tional clients. With guidance received during training, he set up internation­al payment systems and now chan­nels earnings into Tanzanian mobile networks.

“People ask why I do not go out to look for a job,” he says. “But I work from my computer.”

The transformation is not just financial. It is psychological. They speak with clarity about scaling, con­tracts and expansion. They are not waiting to be hired. They are building.

Changing the narrative

In a town where many young men default to boda boda riding, Hamza believes exposure is critical.

“The world is going digital,” he says. “If you refuse to learn, you will remain behind.”

DigiHub Africa has begun mentor­ing their fellow youth interested in digital marketing. Their long-term ambition is to become both an agency and a hub for skills development.

Ask them where they see DigiHub Africa in five years, and they speak of continental markets. Africa first. Then beyond. The ambition may sound bold, but it is grounded in lived progress.

Two years ago, they were experi­menting online without structure. Today, they manage content for a city-wide digital skills project designed to prepare 250 young people for the dig­ital economy.

Their story is not about sudden fortune. It is about recognising value, organising talent, and turning digital curiosity into enterprise. And in a city searching for new pathways for its youth that shift matters.