The African Development Bank has opened a second Information and Communications Technology Centre of Excellence at the United States International University-Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.
The centre of excellence is open to those aged 15 to 35 currently enrolled in the African Development Bank’s ‘Coding for Employment‘ programme, and who do not qualify, or have the means, to attend traditional university programs. The programme aims to support over 1,800 Kenyans via the two centres.
Opening the centre represents a significant milestone for the bank’s Coding for Employment programme. The programme aims to support Africa’s youth, by supplying them with practical, employability and entrepreneurship skills to increase their competitiveness in global labour markets.
Coding for Employment is funded by a partnership between the bank and the US-based Rockefeller Foundation. The bank’s technical partners Junior Achievement Kenya and Microsoft also joined the bank and Rockefeller Foundation collaboration to establish the second centre in Kenya.
Hendrina Doroba, the division manager for education and skills development for the African Development Bank, spoke on behalf of the bank’s director general for Eastern Africa, Nnenna Nwabufo at the opening ceremony on 1 February.
Doroba said: “This Center of Excellence is just one example of the Bank’s commitment to supporting the next generation of African leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. By working together to provide young people with the tools and resources they need to succeed, we are all helping to create a more prosperous and inclusive future for all.
“Technology will shape the future, and it is our responsibility to prepare our young people for the challenges that lie ahead.”
The United States International University-Africa
Supporting Africa’s next ‘changemakers’
Professor Margee Ensign, vice chancellor of The United States International University-Africa, said: “[The University] is excited to partner with the African Development Bank in this initiative because it perfectly aligns with the University’s strategic plan that aims to educate our young people for complex global challenges and be the changemakers in Africa.”
The new university centre has 40 computers, as well as printers, desks, ergonomic office chairs, an equipped conference room and projectors.
John Wali, executive director of Junior Achievement Kenya, also commented on the importance of the development of Africa’s youth: “The disproportionate barriers to technology access and lack of relevant skills in the technology sector contribute to the continent’s soaring unemployment rate. Therefore, digital skills are a critical factor in making young people more employable in the current economy and our aim is to teach them to be different and disruptive.”
The programme opened its first centre of excellence at the University of Nairobi in March 2022. Since its inception, the Coding for Employment programme has reached 152,000 people across Africa.
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