Globally, it is estimated that there are about 8 billion computing devices, but only 50 million users of these devices know how to write codes. These stats reveal the reality that most of use are consumers and not producers in as far as computer programs and applications are involved.
Now taking a look at Africa, I can bet you that the continent is highly underrepresented in that 50 million people who know how to write codes globally. However, there are steps being taken to ensure more Africans jump onto the elite class of people who know how to code, all thanks to the Africa Code Week program. This could be a very beneficial program for the African continent especially considering all the expected demographic growth in the continent over the next 100 years.
According to estimates done by the World Economic Forum, over the next 25 year, the African continent will have twice the number of working population (one billion) as currently. It will surpass even the Asian economic powerhouses like China and India. The continent stands to gain immensely if it strategies early. By learning the necessary tools of trade such as coding that will place it as a producer of software based commodities and not just a consumer.
African entities such as government, non-government organizations, for-profit and not-for-profits organizations need rise to the occasion. They need to ensure this youthful African population is armed with right tools that will make them highly competitive in a world that will be increasingly reliant of tech-based solutions. It is also a chance to bring hundreds of millions of people into the active participation of the creation of modern economy using technology.
Africa Code Week is an initiative of one such entity, SAP. The organization is currently a program to teach the African youths how to code to bridge the digital literacy gap between the industrialized nations and the developing African countries. The week-long program is ending October 10 seeks to improve on saddening stats such as that less than one percent of African students leave school with basic coding skills.
Once the Africa Code Week program draws to an end at the end of this week, SAP promises that it will keep the momentum going with the openSAP. This is a program that offers free courses so that more people on the continent can continue learning about coding and boost their IT proficiency.
SAP also urges other organizations to take up the Africa Code Week and openSAP learning momentum, in their different individual capacity to ensure that the momentum continues post the Africa Code Week. For more details on this, go to SAP website.