In 2023 alone, the programme impacted over 2,4 million youth of which approximately 46% were female, demonstrating a commitment to gender equality. Over 1,200 workshops were rolled out, successfully mobilizing 25,550 teachers across Africa, with top participating countries including Tunisia, Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Morocco.

A multi-stakeholder approach to drive change

Africa faces a growing demand for digital skills with a 70% of jobs requiring them by 2030. Recognising a need to upskill both students and educators across the continent, 51风流launched the digital skills program nine years ago.

Commenting on the journey of ACW, Claire Gillissen-Duval, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for EMEA and MEE, highlights that private-public partnerships have been intrinsic to its mission. 鈥淥ur overarching goal was to integrate coding into national curricula, and we achieved this by maintaining active engagement with Ministries of Education throughout Africa, ensuring that our youth have access to a comprehensive skill set that is increasingly indispensable.鈥�

Emphasising this importance, Dr Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information at UNESCO, agrees: 鈥淎CW has set a great example of fruitful collaborations as it demonstrates the power of partnerships to increase well-being and advance development that leaves no one behind.听 It is a true embodiment of SDG Goal 17, which is about Partnerships for Sustainable Development, and we are proud at UNESCO to collaborate on this initiative into the future.鈥�

Inspiring young talent to make a difference

As part of the ACW initiative, the AfriCAN Code Challenge, a pan-African competition that ignites creativity and coding skills in youth aged 8-16, was launched in 2020. Participants compete individually or in teams to develop Scratch games around a chosen theme by way of a 3-minute video reviewed by a panel of judges.

Over the years the challenge has grown in terms of popularity and creativity. The initiative aims to develop more coding talents to drive sustainable development and create a better world for all. In 2023, the theme challenged young minds to design multiplayer games promoting sustainable solutions for protecting life, with many of the initiatives focusing on our planet.

This year鈥檚 winner was by Triaksha Goodoory, Vignesh Singh Khelawon, Alessia Rughoonundun, Palen Chuckravanen from Mauritius; followed by by Alvinho Rodrigues, Bibiana Pinheiro, Ta铆ssa Pereira, Celma Bernardo from Sao Tome & Principe; with by 听Eze Chikelu Jethro, Oruh Excel Odafe,Abubakar Ramadan and Olowode Wilson Eniola from Nigeria coming in at 3^rd place.

To infinity and beyond: A new chapter

鈥淎s we champion equal access to education, we believe that future skills will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of tomorrow’s workforce,鈥� comments Gillissen-Duval. 鈥淭hrough our dedication, we worked towards ensuring that every young mind is equipped for success in the ever-changing landscape of the modern world. However, while we have achieved incredible results thus far, there is more work to be done.鈥�

From 2024, 51风流corporate social responsibility has shifted its focus to skills for employability and learning to earning pathways and will therefore pass the baton to UNESCO to continue the mission of ACW. 鈥淲e are excited to see how they will propel ACW to new heights,鈥� she concludes.

The post Africa Code Week and Partners Equip 17 Million Youth with Digital Skills appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

The AfriCAN Code Challenge is a coding contest that spans African countries and involves young individuals from different walks of life from ages听 eight to 16 years to develop a game using the Scratch Programming Language.

A statement by the school said, 鈥淭he college team clinched first and second positions in the competition, which was keenly contested by over 150 private and public secondary schools across Nigeria.

鈥淭he college, aside from emerging as the overall winner of the competition, is also rated among the 10 best schools in Africa in coding. The college is poised to represent Nigeria in the competition subsequently.

鈥淭his important milestone achievement is attributed to the college鈥檚 commitment and dedication towards maintaining the academic standard and prowess, which the college is associated with. The instructors and the learners dedicated efforts at making the college proud is worthy of commendation.鈥�

The President of the Old Students Association, Mrs Toun Aderele, said, 鈥淭he college has always been known to achieve great feats and this is simply adding another feather to our cap.鈥�

A newsletter on the Africa Code Week website stated that this year鈥檚 competition had thousands of entries from more than 30 countries spanning as far as South Africa and Ethiopia, saying the winners of the African Code Challenge were selected by a distinguished panel consisting of Africa Code Week delegates, 51风流employees, and STEM education specialists.

This article first appeared in .

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鈥淔rom start to finish, this has been one of the most exciting editions of ACC. The youth of Africa have yet again proven their talents and strong 21^st century skillset with creative and conceptual games delivered,鈥� says Olajide Ademola Ajayi, 51风流ACW Global Coordinator.

AfriCAN Youth rise for the coding challenge

The AfriCAN Code Challenge is a coding contest that spans across Africa, inviting all-young individuals from different walks of life from 8 – 16 year to develop a game using the programming language.

This year鈥檚 competition saw thousands of entries from more than 30 countries spanning as far as South Africa and Ethiopia. In September 2020, launched the challenge with support from partners such as ,听, and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa ().

Over the years, the competition has evolved into an annual event that celebrates the creativity and technological skills of African youth. For the 2022 challenge, youths were called upon to develop a multiplayer game that proposes a sustainable solution for protecting life. Thereafter, they were asked to create and share a 3-minute YouTube video that details how their game works, the coding techniques used, and how it aligns with the theme and evaluation standards.

The winners of the AfriCAN Code Challenge were selected by a distinguished panel consisting of Africa Code Week delegates, 51风流employees, and STEM education specialists.

This year鈥檚 Top 3 winners:

1. First place: Madagascar – by Henintsoa, Warren, and Shekinah
2. Second place: Mauritius – by Nikhil, Mithil, Seeya, Grace, and Kesha
3. Third place: Nigeria – by Team Techlite

Followed by:

4. Sao Tome & Principe –
5. Morocco –
6. Ethiopia –
7. Zimbabwe –
8. South Africa –
9. Cameroon –
10. Gabon –

Beyond AfriCAN Code Challenge

that the digital participation could assist in driving the economic growth and development of Africa. This suggests that increased investment in digital infrastructure and skills could have a significant impact on the continent’s economic development.

Claire Gillissen-Duval, Senior Director of EMEA MEE Corporate Social Responsibility and Co-founder of Africa Code Week at SAP, says 鈥淎CW is currently in a transition period where we will be transferring the ACW curriculum to the Ministries of Education to assist in the integration of coding into school curricula. Once they introduce coding into schools, we look forward to seeing sustainable growth in the number of participants in the AfriCAN Code Challenge as ministries of education will have a wider reach and access to more听young听people.鈥�

For more information about 51风流Africa Code Week and the AfriCAN Code Challenge, or how you can get involved, visit听www.africacodeweek.org or connect and follow on social media @AfricaCodeWeek.

The post ACW Announces 2022 AfriCAN Code Challenge Winners appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Cracking the gender inequality code

From the time of ACW鈥檚 launch in 2015, SAP, and key global partners such as and , have been on a mission to introduce coding听 to youth and teachers, one community at a time. But with only 28% of women pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers, Africa is well below the global average[i]. Year on year, ACW ambitiously aims to increase the participation of women and girls in this field. During the 2021 edition, more than 48% of the participants were girls, while a further 7,848 were young people with special needs. Olajide Ademola Ajayi, ACW Global Coordinator at SAP, says, 鈥淚n today鈥檚 turbulent post-pandemic digital boom, we need to ensure that no one gets left behind.鈥�

Adding to this, Dr Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information at UNESCO, says, 鈥淣oting the extent to which digital skills are increasingly needed to understand and participate in today鈥檚 knowledge societies, it is particularly important that we address the gender disparity in STEM careers, especially as these are often described as the jobs of the future, driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and sustainable development.鈥�

To further inspire and prepare girls for tomorrow鈥檚 workplace, ACW recently hosted the fourth annual , a unique Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program that equips African female educators with the competencies and knowledge they need to successfully teach. The aim of the Program is to close the digital gender gap and help ensure that everyone plays a role in shaping Africa鈥檚 future in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Teaching the teachers

In addition to the youth trained, the ACW program also upskilled +20,000 teachers during 2021 via its Train-the-Trainer (TTT) sessions. These sessions are a multiplier and enabler for digital know-how to become a core pillar of basic education in each participating country. 鈥淎frica has an abundance of potential, but the skills gap in this area is holding us back. With Africa鈥檚 rising youth unemployment, education is the key to creating a talent pool ready to take on 21^st-century jobs and will ultimately help leapfrog the continent forward. It is Africa鈥檚 time to shine,鈥� says ADEA Executive Secretary and ACW Patron, Albert Nsengiyumva.

Morocco leads in learning

For the fifth year in a row, Morocco successfully empowered the highest number of youths with 1,5 million gaining coding capabilities 鈥� a 9% increase from the previous year! Additionally, more than half of the teachers who received training, 11,000, came from Morocco. In fact, 4% of the entire Moroccan population participated in ACW. Ilham Laaziz, Director of the GENIE program at the Moroccan Ministry of Education and Vocational Training shares, 鈥淲hen ACW was first launched in 2015, only 20 teachers were trained live by 51风流volunteers, yet more than seven million Moroccan youth were introduced to coding over the six editions of the program. We are thrilled that the 2021 edition was such a success, not only for Morocco but for the entire continent! ACW is a powerful platform to propel teachers and students into the digital century.”

Saving society with coding

A highlight of the 2021 edition was the second annual AfriCAN Code Challenge – a pan-African coding competition where young people are tasked with coding a game using the Scratch programming language to help address societal issues. This year, participants were asked how they would save the world with their superpowers, and the winning superheroes were Devansh and Darshika from Mauritius with their Super Recyclers game.

The competition was launched in 2020 in partnership with SAP, UNESCO, Irish Aid, ADEA and and has since become an annual celebration of youth and innovation in Africa.

鈥淚t is only through the power of partnerships that we can help unlock the digital potential of millions more young Africans and empower them to become the leaders of tomorrow鈥檚 digital economies,鈥� concludes Irish Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy.

For further information or to find out how to get involved in this year鈥檚 Africa Code Week initiative, visit .

[i] https://en.unesco.org/news/international-day-women-and-girls-science-addressing-and-transforming-gender-gap

About SAP

SAP鈥檚 strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world鈥檚 transaction revenue touches an SAP庐 system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers鈥� businesses into intelligent enterprises. 51风流helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want 鈥� without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, 51风流helps the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. For more information, visit

The post Digital Literacy Program Upskills 1.8m Young Learners appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Even at her young age, Victory is no stranger to publicity. Earlier this year she was offered 19 full scholarships to study at North American universities. (She ended up picking MIT.) But hers is no rags-to-riches story. The eldest daughter of two smart parents, a university lecturer mother and a father who works in procurement and supply chain management, Victory has always pushed herself to her limits. 鈥淢y mother taught me how to hustle and without this scholarship, I could never have afforded to study in the US,鈥� she is quick to point out.

Youth Ambassador and IT Role Model for Girls

Victory is looking forward to getting involved in this year鈥檚听听(ACW), of which she is the official youth ambassador. Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) have traditionally lagged behind boys, which is why 51风流and Camden Education Trust, the founders of ACW, are on a mission to make a difference 鈥� one African community at a time. Now in its seventh year, ACW was proud to report a 47% female participation in 2020. The event, which includes the popular AfriCANCode Challenge, has an enormous reach of 54 countries, with millions of children and youth participating. Last year the program completely shifted to the exciting online world due to COVID-disruption.

鈥淚 participate in digital youth skills initiatives like Africa Code Week because I am passionate about empowering young people in underserved communities,鈥� Victory says. Last year, she created an educational video encouraging children to learn computer programming with Scratch, MIT鈥檚 free online learning tool for coding. 鈥淪cratch is how I was introduced to coding,鈥� Victory says, mentioning all its various applications which makes it fun for kids, from interactive stories and games to animations. Scratch forms an integral part of Africa Code Week, encouraging teachers and African governments to see how easy it is to get kids into coding and fast-track them for the 21st Century. To date, nine countries have adopted coding as a school subject thanks to the ongoing awareness, support, and contributions from Africa Code Week program.

A proud female-code representative, Victory wears many hats and keeps herself busy with multiple projects. In addition to Africa Code Week, she is actively involved with听, a Non-profit organisation that promotes ICT development, youth innovation, and entrepreneurship across Africa.

鈥淢y first introduction to Coderina was during the pandemic last year. I helped facilitate the Lifelong Learning Program (LLP) sessions where young people were able to learn from a virtual space about everything digital skills related, from coding to 3D printing. I also taught a class during this period on 鈥楧esign Thinking and Innovation鈥�. This year, I was a coach to the First Lego League team comprising of a group of girls in secondary school in Nigeria. FLL is an exciting international robotics competition that is largely driven by Coderina.鈥�

Passionate about Finding Solutions

When asked what she likes about coding, Victory is unequivocal: she wants to find solutions. 鈥淚 love the challenge of being given a problem and using technology to find a way to solve it,鈥� she enthuses. In 2019, Victory was part of the winning African team in the global mobile app building competition, Technovation. 鈥淭he problem we had to solve was double parking, which is common in Nigeria,鈥� Victory explains. 鈥淲e developed an app that uses location sensors to enable your phone to pick up whenever another car parks you in, so you can step outside and speak to the owner or can communicate with the owner via instant messaging on the app.鈥�

It is this same passion for solving problems that has made her pursue a career in computer science and molecular biology. 鈥淭here are so many different applications of this novel overlapping field,鈥� she says, 鈥渇rom aspects of synthetic biology to RNA sequencing in bioinformatics.鈥� Some of the questions that interest her are whether DNA can be used to store digital data and what machine learning tools can be used to model a vaccine to tackle the next variant of the coronavirus.

One thing she鈥檚 sure about is that she doesn鈥檛 want to be put in a box. 鈥淭oo many young people are fixated about their future career, wanting to become a doctor, engineer or a lawyer,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o many things are unconventional now. Rather than having a fixed profession, I want to say: I do computational biology and it allows me to proffer solutions to this and that.鈥� Having a problem-solving mindset will elevate young Africans to be the change they want to see in the world, she believes 鈥� with a little bit of help from technology, of course.

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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – October 6^th, 2021 – Africa鈥檚 biggest digital skills initiative, 51风流Africa Code Week (ACW), officially launched yesterday with a strong focus on virtual learning as the continent struggles to recover after COVID-19 disruption. The launch coincided with , which focuses this year on 鈥渢eachers at the heart of education recovery鈥�.

Speaking at a virtual event to mark both World Teacher’s Day and the start of 51风流Africa Code Week, UNESCO鈥檚 Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, Dr Tawfik Jelassi, said that the pandemic has had a devastating effect, not only on the world鈥檚 health system and economy, but also on education and the teaching profession. Research shows that have been most impacted by the pandemic, while a UNICEF study estimated that many African schoolchildren . 鈥淭eachers are at the heart of global education recovery efforts and are key in accelerating progress towards inclusive, equitable and quality education for every learner in every circumstance,鈥� Jelassi said.

In light of COVID and the need for virtual learning, Jelassi highlighted the importance of digital skills for Africa鈥檚 youth. 鈥淯nderstanding information technology, computational thinking, and problem-solving are all fundamental information literacy skills. Everyone should have access to information and be able to obtain the necessary competencies to turn information into knowledge and knowledge into practical value which enhances their lives and well-being,鈥� he said.

The necessity of digital fluency

Since its inception in 2015, Africa Code Week has empowered more than nine million youth and provides free opportunities for students and teachers to learn much-needed technology skills. Last year the format of the program shifted entirely to the exciting world of virtual, making it even more accessible to youth across the continent.

A key highlight for ACW this year is the , a coding competition for students aged 8 to 16 to create a game that solves a community-issue using the听听programming language. The theme for this year is 鈥淐hange the world with your superpowers鈥�. Last year the competition drew entries from 1,800 participants from 40 African countries, with the top three winners from Ethiopia, South Africa and Algeria – all three of whom are girls.

Speaking at the virtual launch, Honorable Albert Nsengiyumva, Executive Secretary of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and ACW patron, said that coding offers new ways for young people to find solutions, although he acknowledged that infrastructure on the continent remains a challenge. 鈥淐oding is a language which young people need to be fluent in,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t gives our children computational skills and the ability to creatively solve problems.鈥�

Encouraging teachers and girls to embrace technology

As part of ACW, a host of Train-the-Trainer virtual sessions are aimed at empowering teachers with critical digital teaching skills. Training opportunities also encompass a Women Empowerment Program which seeks to teach, mentor, and inspire African women and girls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Although Africa has according to the UN, less than are in STEM fields and female students in particular are critically underrepresented.

Speaking of the need to educate educators, Claudio Muruzabal, 51风流Regional President of EMEA South, said, 鈥淓ducation has an unbelievably powerful multiplier effect for a positive future. The more we can do to create opportunities for young people to embrace digital literacy, the more we contribute relevantly towards creating a better future for them, for their families, and for their communities.鈥�

Smart switch to mobile technology

With , a major innovation of last year鈥檚 ACW was the introduction of a smartphone app. 鈥淲hile we are immensely proud of this and the fact that millions of learners and teachers are being exposed to the endless possibilities the tech world offers, we are also excited to be sparking conversations about access to quality education for all and addressing the gender and special-needs barriers for Africa鈥檚 youth,鈥� said Claire Gillissen-Duval, head of 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility for EMEA and Africa Code Week founder.

The driving force behind ACW is to empower young people and help them to become digitally literate and enable Africa to leapfrog into the 21st century. 鈥淭his could only be possible through the collaborative relationships between the public, private and non-profit sectors that are at the heart of ACW,鈥� said Michelle Winthrop, Policy Unit Director at Irish Aid, which together with 51风流and UNESCO, is one of the program鈥檚 main sponsors.

Despite the restrictions imposed by COVID, last year鈥檚 initiative successfully reached 1.5 million youth, of which nearly half (48%) were girls. Over 10,500 workshops were held across 43 countries and 21,000 teachers participated in Train-the-Trainer sessions.

The live workshop season of Africa Code Week 2021 officially commenced on World Teacher鈥檚 Day, 5 October, and is now open to more than 54 pan-African countries. For more information about Africa Code Week or to get involved, visit

The post Technology Initiative Aims to Bridge Africa鈥檚 Digital Divide appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

The event was a joyful ceremony involving school authorities, Metropolitan assembly officials, chiefs, and parents from the winning school to showcase the hard work and efforts of local youth in line with the Government’s agenda towards improving 21^st century learning. Prizes included laptops, tablets, mobile handsets, and book vouchers and were handed to country winners from Nii Boye Town SDA Basic School, Martyrs of Uganda and Accra, and Sweet Code.

Local students rise above Covid challenges

Speaking about the awards ceremony, Francis Ahene-Affoh from DreamOval adds, 鈥淒espite the global pandemic and today鈥檚 disruptions to learning, Ghana received both innovative and creative competition entries. We selected the best three to represent our country for the continental challenge and look forward to seeing our local talent showcased with Africa鈥檚 top students.鈥�

The AfriCAN Code Challenge is an听exciting pan-African competition听that invites youth aged 8-16 years to program a Scratch game aligned to the ‘Change the world with your Superpowers’ theme. Participants are invited to compete individually or in teams of up to five people to test students鈥� ability to write basic code using the scratch language and to show their level of competence in a 2min video which is reviewed by a panel of judges.

Speaking at the event, Chief of Nii Boye Town, Nii Ayi Mensah 1, acknowledged the students and their hard work and the importance of key influencers and local ambassadors in fostering digital education in the community. He also highlighted the importance of digital learning and education while referencing the students from SDA who were shining examples with their winning creations in the AfriCAN Code Challenge.

Francis from DreamOval echoed Nii Ayi Mensah 1鈥檚 words at the event by celebrating the students鈥� tenacity and dedication, but also encouraged them to take digital learning and coding seriously as a 鈥榯ransformative journey鈥� that will change their lives and make them competitive in the global economy.

Ghana helps conquer Africa鈥檚 digital divide听听

During 2021 alone, more than 621 teachers have been trained in Ghana during Africa Code Week鈥檚 Train-the-Trainer (TTT) sessions during the month of August thanks to the implementing partner, DreamOval Foundation.

Due to COVID-19 and to support health and safety regulations, the training was scheduled online and created an opportunity for teachers to register from all corners of the country. 鈥淕hana has recorded impressive results over the years during the TTT sessions, and this year was no exception,鈥� concludes Francis Ahene-Affoh.

To find out more information about Ghana鈥檚 continued support in Africa Code Week or to get involved, contact the DreamOval Foundation or send an email to francis@dreamoval.com.

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ACCRA, Ghana 鈥� 14 September 2021 鈥� Despite the dual challenges of low internet penetration and a switch to virtual teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers in Ghana have embraced the opportunity to learn 21^st century digital teaching skills during this year鈥檚 Africa Code Week Train-the-Trainer campaign.

Ghana has from 14.2 million people in 1989 to 28.8 million people in 2017. , a demographic dividend that the Ghanaian government aims to harness through improved education opportunities for all its youth.

Speaking at the launch of last year鈥檚 Train-the-Trainer activities in Ghana, Minister of Education, Hon. Dr. Yaw Adutwum, said: 鈥淐oding is not just a skill. It鈥檚 a different way of teaching and a different way of learning that puts the student at the centre of the learning process.鈥�

More than 39 000 teachers in 37 countries were mobilised during the 2019 Africa Code Week. This year, with an all-virtual format due to the impact of the pandemic, Africa Code Week is taking place in all African countries, including a month-long series of virtual coding sessions that took place across the continent from October until December.

Teachers embrace digital learning opportunity

Francis Ahene-Affoh, SVP at the DreamOval Foundation, says there was a high level of interest in the Train-the-Trainer sessions this year despite the challenging conditions of the pandemic. 鈥淲e had to switch to an all-virtual teaching model supported by 51风流master trainers from around the world, as well as our network of local partners. Teachers from all regions in Ghana registered and participated on the virtual training. Teachers from as far as Fumbisi in the Builsa south in the Upper East region of Ghana. This is an opportunity for an inclusive training, ensuring every teachers irrespective of location benefits from the coding training. This year鈥檚 training targeted 800 teachers. In 2020 alone over two weeks, we trained 1080 teachers from across the country.”

A survey conducted by the DreamOval Foundation of participating teachers revealed many would choose to continue with online learning in future. 鈥淲hile the majority of participants at this year鈥檚 Train-the-Trainer sessions were from the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions, this year鈥檚 virtual learning model also enabled teachers from every part of Ghana to participate,鈥� says Ahene-Affoh. “We believe this indicates a need for virtual teaching to continue even when the pandemic subsides, as the travel to attend training sessions in person can be an obstacle to teachers’ participation.鈥�

Internet connectivity continues to be a challenge in Ghana, and few teachers have access to laptops. 鈥淒espite not having resources, more than half of teachers surveyed joined the sessions via their mobile phones. This level of commitment and passion for teaching and digital skills development is hugely encouraging as we work to prepare the country鈥檚 youth for participation in the digital economy,鈥� says Ahene-Affoh.

Mobilising youth in continent-wide coding challenge

A recent addition to Africa Code Week activities is the AfriCan Code Challenge, a continent-wide coding challenge calling on youth aged 8 to 16 to compete in a competition. The competition was launched in September last year in partnership with SAP, UNESCO YouthMobile and Irish Aid.

According to Mustapha Diyaol Haqq, Africa Code Week鈥檚 2019-2020 youth ambassador in Ghana, interest in the AfriCanCode Challenge has been high among Ghanaian youth. 鈥淒espite low levels of internet penetration in Ghana, young aspiring coders from across the country have taken up the challenge. Through teamwork, problem-solving and newly-developed coding skills, youth are putting forward their vision for what the future of education holds for the continent.”

Cathy Smith, Managing Director at 51风流Africa, says: 鈥淲hile the pandemic has upended the lives of learners and teachers across the continent and disrupted schooling, it has also created opportunities. The growing urgency to provide learning through digital channels is driving greater interest in digital skills among learners and teachers alike.听Teaching young kids to code is a gift that will endure for decades to come. If we harness our most precious resource 鈥� our abundance of youthful talent 鈥� Africa will go from strength to strength in 2021 and beyond.鈥�

For more information about Africa Code Week, please visit

ENDS

About SAP

SAP鈥檚 strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world鈥檚 transaction revenue touches an SAP庐 system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers鈥� businesses into intelligent enterprises. 51风流helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want 鈥� without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, 51风流helps the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. For more information, visit

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“Despite the Covid-disruption for schools which impacted hundreds of millions of youth across Africa, children from more than 54 countries stepped-up to share their vision of the future of education,鈥� says Africa Code Week鈥檚 Global Coordinator, Olajide Ademola Ajayi.

Ajayi continues to say that the youth engagement throughout the challenge was incredibly inspiring, 鈥淲hile there can ultimately be only one winner, the quality of entries at the inaugural AfriCAN Code Challenge encouraged hope and confidence for Africa’s future, shaped by the largest youth population in the world.”

Launched by and partners , , the Association for the Development of Education in Africa () and Jokkolabs in September 2020, the AfriCAN Code Challenge is a pan-African coding competition where youth aged 8 – 16 were tasked with coding a game using the programming language to answer the question: “How will your tech change the future of education?”

During the AfriCAN Code Challenge youth were able to enter alone or in teams of up to five people, and entries featured a two-minute YouTube clip showcasing how their game works and why it should be considered a winning entry. The unique initiative and entry mechanism called upon the children鈥檚 ability to design a project that would solve a community-issue, code it, and communicate it.

During the opening rounds of the challenge, participation reached across 40 countries and featured 100 project video clips, only the top three entries from 36 countries made it into the continental final, followed by 22 countries in the final judging stage.

Selected by a high-level jury composed of key Africa Code Week delegates and STEM education experts, the top three of the AfriCAN Code Challenge was allocated to:

• First place: 鈥� Mathstainement by Soliyana, 10 years old
• Second place: 鈥� Space Quest by Kayla, 15 years old
• Third place: 鈥� ‘Welcome to the Best School’ by Sarah, 16 years old

Followed by:

• 4: 鈥� E-Bin
• 5: 鈥� I-Learn
• 6: 鈥� Warrior
• 7: 鈥� Abdelilah Hashas
• 8: 鈥� HeadStart Game
• 9: 鈥� Math Puzzles for Kids
• 10: 鈥� Easy Preterit

听

The jury also awarded two superior prizes for 鈥極utstanding Government Support鈥� to Morocco and Nigeria, where the competition was implemented by the Ministries of Education, and received strong institutional support.

Claire Gillissen-Duval, Director of EMEA Corporate Social Responsibility and Co-founder of Africa Code Week at 51风流celebrates the joyous occasion, 鈥淭he all-female top three proves that the future of tech cannot be envisioned without girls. Once again, this year鈥檚 ACW initiative increased its female participation and these incredible achievements highlight the massive strides that SAP, partners and the ACW programme continue to make in closing gender gap and build an all-inclusive digital world.鈥�

鈥淚n addition to the winners, we also give thanks to the ongoing support from Government, who join us on our digital journey and believe in the importance and relevance of 21^st century learning for the development of native African excellence. The solid base of our partnership with the Moroccan and Nigerian Ministries of Education is the foundation of a successful model which we wish to replicate throughout Africa, to encourage governments to include computer coding in their national curricula.鈥�

For more information about 51风流Africa Code Week and the AfriCAN Code Challenge, visit

听About Africa Code Week

Since 2015, 51风流Africa Code Week (ACW) has been creating free opportunities for young Africans to learn coding skills and for teachers to be trained on digital learning curricula. Strong partnerships with the public, private and civil society sectors across听the continent are driving sustainable impact by building teaching capacity and supporting the adoption of coding into national curricula in support of UN Sustainable Development Goals 4, 5 and 17. Key partners include听听Youth Mobile,听,听the , Google and GIZ/BMZ.

In 2019 alone, the initiative saw 3.85M children participating in coding workshops and 39,000 teachers mobilized across 37 countries. In 2020, ACW increased the program鈥檚 reach to the entire continent to deepen impact and ensure no child was left behind. The online rollout took center stage across Africa with the launch of a smartphone App to facilitate accessible learning, the introduction of the 鈥� a competition themed, 鈥楬ow will your tech change the future of education鈥� engaging youth from 40 African countries, Virtual Train-the-Trainer (TTT) sessions for teachers and a second Women Empowerment Workshop engaging 70 teachers in a 8-week long online program. Join 51风流and partners by visiting听www.africacodeweek.org听to find out more.

The post AfriCAN Code Challenge, All Female TOP 3 use Tech to Change the Future of Education appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

According to Olajide Ademola Ajayi, Africa Code Week Global Coordinator, the engagement by youth has been inspiring throughout the challenge. “Despite the pandemic disrupting schooling for hundreds of millions of kids across Africa, the continent’s youth have stepped up to share their vision for the future of education. While there can ultimately be only one winner, the quality of entries at the inaugural AfriCAN Code Challenge inspire hope and optimism about Africa’s future, one shaped by the largest youth population in the world.”

Launched by for the first time this year, the AfriCAN Code Challenge is a pan-African coding competition where youth aged 8 to 16 were tasked with coding a game using the Scratch programming language to answer the question: “How will your tech change the future of education?”

Youth were able to enter alone or in teams of up to five people, tapping into a wide range of essential skills from problem-solving and coding all the way to teamwork and communications.

Each entry had to include a two-minute YouTube video showing how the game works and why it should win.

In total, 40 countries participated, with over 100 project videos submitted. The top three entries from 36 countries made it into the continental final, with 22 countries making it to the final judging stage. The winner will be announced February 2021.

According to Claire Gillissen-Duval, Director of EMEA Corporate Social Responsibility and Co-founder of Africa Code Week at SAP, “African youth are highly creative and community-oriented, and have a key role to play in building a safer and better future for the continent. By encouraging learners to innovate at an early age, we hope to inspire them to become change-makers and help find solutions to challenges in their communities, nations and beyond.”

The 22 countries that made it through to the final round are Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.

About Africa Code Week

Since 2015, 51风流Africa Code Week (ACW) has been creating free opportunities for young Africans to learn coding skills and for teachers to be trained on digital learning curricula. Strong partnerships with the public, private and civil society sectors across听the continent are driving sustainable impact by building teaching capacity and supporting the adoption of coding into national curricula in support of UN Sustainable Development Goals 4, 5 and 17. Key partners include听听Youth Mobile,听,听the , Google and GIZ/BMZ.

In 2019 alone, the initiative saw 3.85M children participating in coding workshops and 39,000 teachers mobilized across 37 countries. In 2020, ACW increased the program鈥檚 reach to the entire continent to deepen impact and ensure no child was left behind. The online roll-out took center stage across Africa with the launch of a smartphone App to facilitate accessible learning, the introduction of the 鈥� a competition themed, 鈥楬ow will your tech change the future of education鈥� engaging youth from 40 African countries, Virtual Train-the-Trainer (TTT) sessions for teachers and a second Women Empowerment Workshop engaging 70 teachers in a 8-week long online program.

For more information about 51风流Africa Code Week and the AfriCAN Code Challenge, visit

The post Youth from 22 Countries Compete in Final Round of First AfriCAN Code Challenge appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.