When it comes to tech software solutions, Kenya and Africa at large is a consumer, not a producer. Wait that is not entirely accurate! There has been commendable progress in Kenya and Africa at large. There are tech, FinTech solutions, web browsers, and other browsers made by developers from across the continent.
However, one thing remains true. Africa has a lot of room to grow, as far as native-developed tech solutions are concerned. Those that are there are made through only a handful of developers, most of whom plunged into the world of tech at a much later stage in their lives; most being in their teen years.
Suppose, they had started much earlier, how could things have turned out? That is exactly what Kennedy Kanyi, a graduate student from JKUAT is driving at. He has come up with a second level programming language BraceScript, which he intends to have kids use as early as they can start reading.
The best part, this coding language is targeting the masses, so ‘ceteris peribus’, we should expect a larger number of coders in about 10-15 years to come.
“BraceScript approaches programming concepts from a simple and fun to do point. The kids get to learn the importance of syntax as they enjoy creating things and drawing images and animations through code,” says Kanyi.
As a second level programming language, BraceScript incorporates elements of the first level language framework such as from JavaScript and Python. In a nutshell, BraceSritp is a simple syntax emulating complex syntax of the first level programming language. The difference is, it is highly simplified to the level of kids’ understanding. You do not want them not having fun while coding now, do you?
Kanyi launched syntax through Oneplace Technologies, a software solutions company he is currently running. For Ksh. 999 ($99.9), kids between the ages of 7-17 years old can enroll into a Brace Kids program to teach them how to get the full coding knowledge out of BraceScript. The fee charged will go towards setting up a kids’ hub by Oneplace Technologies.