The Nigerian federal government, in conjunction with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a UK-based computing education organization, is embarking on an exciting initiative to establish Code Clubs across Nigeria.
These Code Clubs are for students ages 7 to 17 and act as extracurricular artificial intelligence (AI) programming centers, with the purpose of developing digitally literate and innovative young minds in Nigeria.
On November 8th, the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy unveiled this ground-breaking program.
The major goal of these Code Clubs is to educate young participants in the world of code and digital technology, while also encouraging them to use creative problem-solving skills in their everyday life.
These clubs would begin at 17 knowledge exchange centers before spreading to diverse sites across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, underlined the importance of nurturing a knowledge pipeline in Nigeria through free coding clubs in collaboration with the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
This program intends to strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy by increasing technical knowledge and developing talent.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation will give extensive toolkits, assistance, and guidance to educators and young participants as part of this collaboration.
Simultaneously, through a well-structured cooperation framework, the Ministry will oversee the development and management of Code Clubs around the country.
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The assistance provided to partners, which includes individuals, educational institutions, and organizations dedicated to expanding computing education, is a critical component of this program.
A selected central organization will provide these partners with resources, help, and operational advice.
The Ministry has established a wide number of educational courses for Code Club partners, including robotics, electronics, game development, algorithms, web development, programming languages, and project-based learning.
In a related move, the Nigerian government announced in October a program that will award 5 million naira (about $6,444) funding to 45 AI-focused firms and researchers.
This effort is part of the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme, which intends to encourage the widespread use of AI in the country for economic success and scientific improvement.
In conclusion, the collaboration between the Nigerian government and the Raspberry Pi Foundation to establish Code Clubs is an important step toward developing young talent and growing Nigeria’s digital economy through coding and technology education.
