If you could pick between a foreign software developer and a Nigerian, which would pick? Most people would probably pick the foreigner and the reasons cannot be far-fetched.
It is either because of the popular assumption that the Nigerian is not an expert, lacks the good equipment or simply that the person in question is a Nigerian and therefore isn’t tech savvy.
Although this is generally false, it is true on a lot of levels as most Nigerians are not exposed to technology until they are above eighteen and as such, have very little knowledge of it when entering the labour market.
Can you imagine what our organizations would look like if every young person in Nigeria had the ability to code? You may be wondering what is so special about coding software. Coding is as important as the languages you speak especially in the 21st century. Every single application on your device is available because there was someone to code that system.
Sprout Digital Development Limited stepped out in 2016 to train young people of not more than 18 years of age in software programming. Believing strongly that a child is never too young to begin developing the love for the software programming world. In 2016, thirty-five (35) people were trained and by 2017, that number had increased by over 100%.
When most parents bring their children, they usually think programming is really difficult. Interestingly, the founder of Sprout, Damilola Ade must have anticipated this when she said “Most people think that you have to have a degree from MIT in order to think like a programmer, but it really isn’t all that complicated. The best kind of coding is simple and easy for people to understand because coding involves breaking down a task, creating logical steps that can be solved one after the other. It’s a persistent attitude of problem solving and collaboration. Coding may look complicated, but at its heart, it is about achieving great things in small steps.”
In 2017, codeIT progressed on many fronts, one of which included partnerships. We had partners such as the National Library of Nigeria, United States embassy in Nigeria, Youth Hub Africa, Cobweb Solutions, Get Gadgets, our numerous volunteers and partnering schools.
In a very short time, codeIT has become a household name in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and it’s expanding to other parts of Nigeria and beyond. The organization has a goal to train and raise a hundred thousand (100,000) participants by 2020.
“Coding, computer programming digital literacy is all part of what a quality education looks like in the 21st Century, says the founder. She strongly believes that we cannot talk about the Sustainable Development Goal four (SDG4) today and exclude advance digital education.
Kids need to learn and understand the logic and reasoning behind technology and there is no better way to do this than to code.
In other for quality education that prepares the younger ones for life to take place, parents, teachers, schools, and technology inclined organizations must work together to make it happen.
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