By Ijeoma Ndubisi
Abuja – Working to Advance Education for African Women (WAAW) Foundation, an NGO on Tuesday commenced its `She Hacks Africa’, a camping computer programming training for youths in Lagos.
Dr Unoma Okorafor, the Chief Executive Officer of the foundation said this in a statement by Ms Loveth Ubi, the Business Development Manager in Abuja.
Okorafor said that the programme, the third edition by the organisation, would hold from Oct. 3 to Oct. 27, was aimed at building the self confidence in African youths as technology innovators and entrepreneurs.
According to Okorafor, computer programming can be applied in all work areas to ameliorate the enormous problems the African continent faces.
“She Hacks Africa Coding Boot Camp is a three to four weeks intensive in-person training workshop on software development, leadership and entrepreneurship.
“During the training period, African youths learn software programming and then practice what they have learnt in project based exercises.
“The exercises aim to simulate the everyday work environment and build their self confidence as community change makers, technology innovators and entrepreneurs.
“There are a lot of opportunities in learning computer programming, it can be applied across various fields and that’s one of the major ways we can solve the problems we are facing in Africa.
“This programme is building the next generation of African women in Technology,” she said.
She added that the programme would bridge the existing gap in formal education system.
According to her, it will provide an accelerated path for motivated youths to develop their coding skills, which is on a high demand in every work environment.
Okorafor said that youths participating in the programme were between the ages of 18 and 30 with little or no experience in coding and drawn from tertiary institutions as well as different walks of life.
She, however, said that the participants would have the opportunity to meet and network with mentors and professionals who could motivate and inspire them to remain in the profession.
“Ultimately, we hope to inspire 100 per cent of our participants to advance their careers as software programmers, community leaders, technology innovators and entrepreneurs.”
The “She Hacks Africa” programme was first held in Abuja in January with no less than 30 men and women from different African countries that took part in the training programme. (NAN)