Africa Code Week gets underway in Nigeria

Africa Code Week (ACW), a continent-wide initiative of SAP, supported by partners such as Google, UNESCO, BMZ, Camden Trust, Cape Town Science Centre is set to run for 2 weeks from 15th to 26th October, in schools, communities and ICT centres across Nigeria.

Organised said hundreds of thousands of students will be trained on coding language during the period.

For the training, organizers are engaging teachers who have been ramped up through a series of trainings carried out by SAP and some of the ACW Network Partner Organizations (NPO).

Notably, in Edo and Enugu states where trainings recently held in August and September, the events were organized by SAP and were coordinated by ACW NPO Coderina. The governments of the states have already thrown their full weight behind the program with a common goal of ensuring that all students in post primary education are introduced to coding during these 2 weeks.

They believe that success will be achieved through a combination of plans put in place by the government to leverage the newly acquired knowledge of the teachers and support from NPOs.

In Edo State, for instance, the government working through the Chairman of Edo State Post Primary Education Board (PPEB) Mr. Gabriel Oiboh and the Director of ICT agency Ms. Yuwa Napps, have set aside 38 ICT centers in schools across the state to cater for students in schools where there’s lack of or shortage of computers.

The government ICT center with over 300 computers will also be used to train students in batches, with students transported to the center by government vehicles.

The approach is also similar in Enugu State where a team led by the SSA to the Governor on Development Aid, Dr. Kingsley Udeh and his ream, acting under the instructions of the Executive Governor, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, plan to reach every student in post primary education and ensure that no child is left behind.

The Governor in his address delivered on his behalf by the State’s Deputy Governor, Mrs. Cecelia Ezeilo at the ACW teacher training in Enugu, stated that youths are the engine of economic growth in the State hence digital literacy powers this engine.

“That is why my Administration has sought and attracted to the State this largest digital literacy initiative ever organized on the African continent”.

“Enugu State Government is committed to working with stakeholders towards achieving sustainable and inclusive economic growth through digital literacy. This software coding training therefore comes as a welcome complement to the various ICT development initiates of the State Government. We will want to work with SAP and partners to infuse software coding into our school curriculum, in line with our ICT policy”, the State Government said.

According to the National Ambassador of Africa Code Week Olajide Ademola Ajayi at the TTT in Enugu, “It is highly anticipated that government interest in the program will help move the needle on Nigeria’s Digital Literacy drive.”