The inaugural edition of the HackathonAfrica, in Enugu, southeastern Niga © ria.
The HackatonAfrica program, a brainchild of the US-based AfricaPlan Foundation, is an intensive software coding training camp for recent graduates that aims to tackle the digital skills deficit in the southeastern region of Nigeria and create opportunities for young entrepreneurs to explore. the growing technology industry.
With Nigeria's unemployment rate at over 35%, the Africanoplan Foundation said HackathonaAfrica offers one of several unique opportunities that should be explored to creatively tackle the unemployment crisis through a upskilling inclusive and strategic digital that creates opportunities for the next generation of young Nigerians to play an active role in the digital economy.
The Hackathon attracted huge interest from young people across the region with over 300 applications received.
However, only twenty recent graduates were selected to join the first group, which included ten men and ten women, underlining the Foundation's strategic commitment to inclusion, thus granting equal opportunities to both sexes.
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A fully funded residential software coding boot camp, HackathonAfrica will last for three months and will encompass intensive hands-on training in Fullstack Web Development (MERN) and the latest and most commonly used software coding programs and databases in technology today. day.
AfricaPlan Foundation founder, technology industry executive and entrepreneur, Oni Chukwu, speaking at the opening ceremony, lamented the shortage of digital skills in Africa, which is hampering the continent's ability to fully seize the economic opportunities of the technology revolution. and its economic empowerment.
Oni Chukwu pointed out that technological advances, especially in software development, have disrupted virtually all industries, resulting in a greater disadvantage for any economy without sufficient or commensurate digital skills to meet industry needs.
The funder called on policymakers, governments at all levels and concerned individuals to embrace the new reality and put in place deliberate measures that will boost youth energy and equip them to explore the technology sector.
In line with the structure and design of HackathonAfrica, the 20 interns after completing their three months of training, AfricaPlan will make every effort to deploy graduates to HackathonAfrica partner organizations inside and outside Nigeria for their internship, with a salary from the AfricaPlan Foundation.
More partner companies that can participate in offering internship opportunities for students are welcome.
Some of the participants who spoke to reporters during the ceremony expressed gratitude to the AfricaPlan Foundation for the opportunity and pledged to make the most of the program to launch careers in the technology industry.
