As parts of its objective of creating 25 million jobs in Africa, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched digital skills programme – ‘Coding for Employment,’ in Nigeria.
Speaking through a statement on Monday, the bank noted that it is working with technology firms Facebook, Microsoft and the Rockfeller Foundation, to launch 130 centres of excellence across Africa, as part of its Coding for Employment initiative.
The partnership involves the bank supplying educators and IT experts, Facebook and Microsoft philanthropies designing the curriculum and Rockefeller Foundation supporting the vision with a $2m trust fund to equip and operationalise the plan.
The centres are expected to correct the mismatch between Africa’s youth skills and employers’ requirements, it noted
Commenting on the launch, the ICT and Youth Development expert at the African Development Bank, Uyoyo Edosio, said it had been an amazing start for the Coding for Employment programme in Nigeria.
READ MORE: Equatorial Guinea to host AfDB 2019 annual meetings
He said, “Across the country, we are observing pent-up demand for basic computing capabilities and digital skills. Africa’s youth will drive the digital transformation of African economies in the emerging fourth and fifth industrial era.”
The bank noted that knowledge of advanced technologies, such as cloud computing, data analytics, mobile, security, social networking and artificial intelligence (AI), will become crucial as Africa’s youth population grows.
“Working with academia, private and public sector institutions, the bank’s technology development programmes and investments support numerous national development plans and align with its high five priorities, especially, integrate Africa, industrialise Africa and improve the quality of life for the people of Africa,” the bank stated.
The Coding for Employment programme is a key pillar of the bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa strategy (2016 – 2025), which seeks to create 25 million jobs across the continent, developing and launching Africa’s next generation of digitally -enabled youthful workforce.