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AfDB, Partners Flag off ‘Coding for Employment’ Programme
More young people and students across Africa and in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous economy, are becoming computer literate, with coding and digital skills training, under the “Coding for Employment” programme of the African Development Bank.
The programme began in February 2018, when the Bank, working with technology firms Facebook, Microsoft and the Rockfeller Foundation, embarked on a plan to launch 130 Centres of Excellence across Africa, as part of its Coding for Employment initiative.
With educators and IT experts from the Bank, Facebook and Microsoft Philanthropies designing the curriculum and Rockefeller Foundation supporting the vision with a $2 million trust fund to equip and operationalize the plan, the centres will correct the mismatch between Africa’s youth skills and employers’ requirements.
The programme anticipates that 75% of the trainees will be linked with employment opportunities, while 25% will become entrepreneurs.
By November 2018, the Bank had identified leading academic institutions, the designated “Centres of Excellence”, in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire, to run the pilot phase of the digital skills training programme. Four institutions, Ahmadu Bello University, Covenant University, Gombe State University and University of Nigeria, Nsukka, were selected in Nigeria.
In December 2018, computer science departments in Covenant University and Gombe State University (GSU) flagged off “Hour of Code” sessions under the Coding for Employment programme in their respective campuses. 62 participants, comprising students and young people from neighbouring communities, attended the one-day classes at Covenant University. GSU recorded 545 participants over the course of three days.
All the participants, who were carefully screened and had little or no knowledge of technology, received certificates of participation. 95% of them expressed strong interest in the next level of digital skills, a course scheduled to commence in early 2019.
“The turnout was massive, and the enthusiasm was palpable,” said Yemi Orimolade, one of the facilitators and senior communication manager at Microsoft Philanthropies, the corporate philanthropy subsidiary of the technology firm.
For Dr Bala Modi, Acting Director of ICT at GSU, the impressive turnout and interest of young people from Gombe and neighbouring towns was particularly pleasing. It was an indicator that the youth of Gombe and surrounding Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Adamawa and Bauchi states were keen on moving on with their lives, away from the spate of terrorist attacks experienced in north-eastern Nigeria in recent months.
“It’s been an amazing start for the Coding for Employment programme in Nigeria,” said Uyoyo Edosio, ICT and youth development expert at the African Development Bank. “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.”
Promoting stability and peace in Africa’s once fragile and conflict-prone zones will pave the way for initiatives such as Coding for Employment to flourish, complementing formal and informal education and training programmes targeted at the youth population. With the continent’s youth population projected to reach 830 million by 2050, knowledge of advanced technologies, such as cloud computing, data analytics, mobile, security, social networking and artificial intelligence (AI), will become crucial.
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 5 priorities, especially Integrate Africa, Industrialize Africa and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.
The Coding for Employment programme is a key pillar of the Bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa (JfYA) 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.
Atte Ayodeji, a Nigerian computer scientist,has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of detecting, counting, grouping and generating healthy hair follicles during hair transplant procedures, an innovation that earned him the Best Innovative Technology award.
Atte Ayodeji
Ayodeji also graduated with a Distinction in his Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science from Birmingham City University on Friday, adding another milestone to an impressive academic year.
Beyond his award-winning hair transplant innovation, the Nigerian researcher developed a system and framework on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) as a professional responsibility in the diagnosis of lung cancer.
His dissertation received a silver award at the PGXPO2026 Winter, further highlighting the impact of his research in applying artificial intelligence to healthcare.
Sunday Dare, special adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Tinubu, celebrated Ayodeji’s achievements in a post on X, recalling how he first met him in 2019 during his National Youth Service.
“In 2019 when I became a Minister of the Republic, I met a young man of medium height, genteel with penetrating eyes: Atte Ayodeji. His words rarely come out and he could easily be passed by unnoticed. But I noticed him especially when my SA Kemi Areola brought him to me asking my approval for him to do his Youth Service in my office. I approved. From then on he was unstoppable. His brilliance shown and he developed skills beyond his frame.”
Highlighting Ayodeji’s recent accomplishments, Dare congratulated him saying, “Congratulations Atte. I am proud of you!”
Mr. Joseph Tegbe, minister of Power, has said that the federal government plans to end power sector subsidies from 2027 and that there are no immediate plans for tariff increases.
Mr. Joseph Tegbe, minister of Power
The minister told journalists during the media interactive session at the weekend that the government has announced plans to phase out electricity subsidy payments from 2027 as part of efforts to address mounting liabilities in the power sector.
He explained that the planned removal forms part of the broader reforms aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of the electricity sector, while tackling the financial challenges confronting the industry.
According to the minister, despite the planned subsidy withdrawal, there are no immediate plans to increase electricity tariffs, reassuring consumers that the government is not considering a tariff hike in the short term.
Patience Okala, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office has urged African countries to stop exporting raw materials and instead focus on adding value to its natural resources if it is to fully harness the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
She stated this on Thursday at the Streamsowers & Köhn 20th Anniversary Business Forum, where she stressed that value addition and beneficiation are essential to Africa’s industrialisation and long-term economic growth.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, she said the AfCFTA goes beyond the elimination of tariffs, serving as a framework for industrialisation, value addition, and job creation across the continent.
“AfCFTA is not only about tariffs; it is also about value addition. Africa has to stop exporting raw materials. We need to add value and ensure that beneficiation is done on the continent,” she said.
Okala also said Africa’s economic transformation would depend on the effective implementation of the AfCFTA rather than on the signing of trade agreements alone.
“We have moved beyond negotiations. The success of AfCFTA will be measured by the extent to which businesses can access new markets, trade seamlessly across borders, and benefit from the opportunities created by the agreement,” she said.
She noted that Nigeria had intensified efforts to implement the agreement under the leadership of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, including the development of simplified AfCFTA guides in six languages to help businesses understand and take advantage of opportunities under the trade pact.
Okala called for stronger collaboration among governments, regulators, and the private sector to eliminate barriers to trade and investment and build a truly integrated African market.
“As we move from policy to implementation, our collective responsibility is to ensure that the opportunities created by AfCFTA become practical realities for businesses, particularly MSMEs, women-owned enterprises, and young entrepreneurs across the continent,” she said.
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