2023-05-02 04:50:33
SenePlus publishes below the press release announcing the launch in Senegal of the African Girls Can Code Initiative program aimed at training 50 young women in coding.
« UN Women launches the African Girls Can Code Initiative program in Senegal to train 50 young women in coding
- UN Women in Senegal, in partnership with the Ministry of Women, Family and Child Protection, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, and Polaris Asso initiates the first coding camp as part of the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) project deployed by the African Union, in partnership with the International Telecommunications Union and Siemens
- Lasting 10 days, this first coding camp will train 50 young girls residing in Dakar from May 2 to 11 at the Mermoz Open Digital Space made available by the Cheikh Hamidou Kane Digital University. Each of the 50 beneficiaries will receive a laptop computer and a training certificate at the end of the training.
An alliance for the inclusion of women and girls in ICT in Africa
In 2020, 35% of African men and 24% of African women used the Internet. These figures highlight the threat that unequal access to technology poses not only to the general economic development of the continent, but more specifically to gender equality, given that the use of the Internet is essential for development. social and economic, for autonomy, education, and the fundamental rights of all.
It is for this reason that the AGCCI initiative was launched by UN Women, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The AUC, through the AU Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHSD), Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD) and Department of Education , Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI), is providing technical support to this initiative. The objective is to train and empower a minimum of 2,000 girls aged 17-25, across Africa, to become computer programmers, creators and designers, putting them on the right track to undertake studies and pursue careers in the information, communication and technology (ICT), education and coding sectors.
An upgrade of 6 (six) certified Senegalese trainers
The first phase of the initiative, carried out between April 2018 and December 2019, yielded good results. A second phase was launched in April 2022 by UN Women and its partners (AUC, ITU, ECA, UNESCO). To deploy the second phase, a training of trainers was carried out in April 2022 in Dar es Salaam-Tanzania, which trained a team of
trainers from the 11 priority countries (Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Tanzania). The interns will train the girls using a standardized training module during national coding camps to be coordinated in 2022 and 2023.
As far as Senegal is concerned, 6 trainers benefited from this training in Tanzania, following a selection that took place over several months through a public and open call for applications. This step of training Senegalese trainers was the first crucial step in setting up the first coding camp that will take place in Senegal.
Launch of the first coding camp in Dakar from May 2 to 11, 2023
In Senegal, on the sidelines of the deployment of its first coding camp, the AGCCI initiative will be officially launched on May 2 at the Espace Numérique Ouvert (ENO) in Mermoz in the presence of the Senegalese authorities and representatives of UN Women. This first coding camp will be held over 10 days, from May 2 to 11 in the spaces of the ENO of Mermoz made available for the occasion by the Digital University Cheikh Hamidou Kane.
The 50 young women beneficiaries of this program were chosen from hundreds of applications received during a selection process lasting several weeks. Aged between 17 and 25 and living in Dakar, they will be financially supported to follow a 10-day coding training course in the best possible conditions. They will each receive, at the end of the camp, a certificate of participation as well as a personal computer and will then join a support community in order to strengthen their network and their knowledge in the field.
The presence of your press organ at the launching ceremony this Tuesday, May 2 at 09:00 am at the ENO of Mermoz is strongly desired at the launching ceremony of this camp. »
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