LIONS@FRICA Partnership: Teaching Coding Skills to Africa’s Youth

Office of the Spokesperson
Department of State
Washington, DC
December 13, 2013

In recognition of Computer Science Education Week, the U.S. Department of State’s Global Partnership Initiative together with CoderDojo and the LIONS@FRICA partnership, launched a new initiative today called afriCoderDojo to teach youth in Africa 21stcentury computer technology skills.

afriCoderDojo is a pan-African effort to teach young people the ability to understand and build fluency in coding, and learn the computer languages that are used to develop websites, mobile phone applications, computer programs, and electronic games. Based on the global open-source CoderDojo movement, afriCoderDojo will rely on a volunteer network of implementers and experienced coders located across Africa to run the two-month learning program.

afriCoderDojo aims to provide young people with the basics of coding through a fun and motivating curriculum. Guest lecturers, local technology entrepreneurs, and U.S. Embassies across Africa will also be invited to participate in the learning program to highlight and showcase career opportunities in the field of internet technology.

The inaugural afriCoderDojo clubs are due to launch in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania and Lagos, Nigeria in January 2014. The groups will be sponsored by the Dar Teknohama Business Incubator – a national incubator for technology businesses – in Tanzania and Oando Foundation – the foundation for Africa’s largest integrated energy company– in Nigeria.

For more information about afriCoderDojo, please go to www.africa.co/africoderdojo or follow us on Twitter @afriCoderDojo. If you are interested in hosting an afriCoderDojo in your community, please email partnerships@state.gov.