Business a.m.
Moniepoint Inc, Africa’s leading digital financial services provider, has taken a significant step in shaping the future of African tech talent with its DreamDevs initiative. Designed to nurture the brightest minds on the continent, this transformative programme aims to equip recent graduates with practical tech skills and invaluable real-world experience, addressing the persistent challenges in tech talent sourcing across Africa.
Targeting graduates from technology, computer science, engineering, and related fields with foundational programming knowledge in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, DreamDevs offers a rigorous nine-week boot camp that immerses participants via hands-on training from leading software engineers and experience building impactful products for millions of people.
The DreamDevs initiative comes at a pivotal moment for Nigeria’s digital economy, which has seen remarkable growth over the past two decades. The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector contributed 18% to Nigeria’s GDP in 2024, underscoring its importance as a backbone for economic diversification. However, the global tech workforce faces a significant challenge, with 4.5 million unfilled tech jobs worldwide—a gap that is expected to widen as demand for skilled workers outpaces supply. Initiatives like DreamDevs aim to address this shortage by nurturing local talent capable of competing on both domestic and global stages.
The programme officially launched following a competitive hackathon that identified 20 exceptional young talents who earned their place in the boot camp. Over the course of nine weeks, these participants will undergo intensive training in topics such as Java Refresher, Google Cloud Platform, Kafka Fundamentals, Google Cloud ML/AI, and Advanced Java, ensuring they develop the technical proficiency required to thrive in today’s digital economy. At the end of the boot camp, standout participants will earn internship opportunities, opening doors to further professional development, while all participants have the potential to secure full-time positions with Moniepoint.
Felix Ike, co-founder and chief technology officer of Moniepoint Inc, emphasised the company’s commitment to Africa’s future, stating that investing in young talent is crucial for driving technological advancement across the continent. He highlighted that DreamDevs goes beyond just training; it is a strategic effort to create a pathway for ambitious graduates to become key players in Africa’s evolving tech landscape.
“We have always envisioned a transformative approach to technology, using it to power the dreams of millions and engineering financial happiness across the land,” Ike said. “By providing practical experience, upskilling opportunities, startup incubation, and product development support, DreamDevs equips participants to become invaluable assets to the tech industry while contributing to the government’s vision for a thriving digital economy in Nigeria,” he stated.
Moniepoint’s programme complements existing government efforts such as the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative under President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda, which aims to create two million digital jobs by 2025 and position Nigeria as a net exporter of tech talent. Together, these programmes are building Nigeria’s technical talent backbone—a foundational pillar in the Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy’s strategic blueprint.
With a track record of investing in tech talent across Africa, with previous initiatives such as Moniepoint HatchDev, a specialised nine-month training program in partnership with NITHub Unilag, and its hugely popular Women in Tech initiative, Moniepoint has consistently demonstrated its commitment and dedication to leveraging digital technology for growth across all sectors while prioritizing infrastructure development and positioning itself as a driving force in the continent’s technological evolution.
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