The African Development Bank has signed a grant agreement with Rwanda to support the Rwanda Coding Academy, set up to develop top technology talent to drive a booming, innovation-driven digital economy in the East African nation.
The academy was set up as a proof-of-concept model school for developing information and communcation technology and other 21st-century skills for high school level students who want to pursue a career in coding and computer science.
The academy selects high-performing students and trains them in advanced software programing and cyber security skills to facilitate their emergence as world-class programmers.
The grant funding of $150,000, from the Rockefeller Trust Fund which AfDB administers, will be directed to the implementation of activities, including acquisition of computers and furniture equipment for an ultra-modern innovation centre of excellence, Internet connectivity, teacher training and organisation of job career orientation events.
Rwandan Minister for ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, said her government welcomed the partnership.
“The Rwanda Coding Academy is part of our broader vision to grow a local pool of highly talented pan-African workforce in science, technology and innovation,” she said adding that the academy’s learning model requires robust digital infrastructure and a dynamic teaching approach from the instructors
The grant will also be used to finance on-job training for teachers and equipping the school with the necessary tools to facilitate the learning experience of students.
“This collaboration between the bank and Rwanda aims to demonstrate that empowering African youth with demand-driven skills and providing them with opportunities to be part of the ICT ecosystem as early as possible, will enable them to claim their space in the digital sector and be equal drivers of innovative ideas that are shaping the present and the future of Africa and the globe,” said Nnenna Nwabufo, acting Director General for AfDB’s Eastern Region.
