As part of activities marking the 2019 edition of Africa Code Week (ACW), a digital marketing company based in Kwara state, Webfala Digital Limited, has trained over 1000 young students on scratch coding.
The ACW, an initiative of SAP Africa supported by Google, UNESCO, and Cape Town Science Centre, aims at empowering young African students with digital skills and coding they need to navigate the digital age.
Speaking on the importance of the programme, the CEO of Webfala Digital Limited, Mr Wale Bakare, said the training would stimulate the young students’ interest in coding, adding that coding is a language every child must understand and speak.
He said: “During the training, we introduced students with little or no previous exposure or knowledge of programming to coding through short and interesting learning sessions.”
Bakare explained that the ACW was designed to instil in the young students the courage to invent new things using computers. “It is also geared towards enhancing the problem-solving skills of the children,” he added.
He opined that a nation that promotes coding education would produce a generation which use core analytical skills to solve problems, build industries and reduce inequality in Africa.
“Without doubt, the future of Africa depends on the young people of today and it is vital that we promote and develop coding skills among them, which will enable them become leaders and technological innovators.”
The ACW, an annual programme, holds its training in various countries across Africa with Nigeria as part of its centre designated to train young individuals on scratch coding.
Some of its centres in Kwara state include Iqra College, Ilorin; Royal Palm International School, Ilorin; Lamp Bearers Islamic School, Ilorin; Cherubim and Seraphim School, Ilorin; Roemichs International School and SWOT Charter School; Ilorin.