Nigerian partners Raspberry Pi to empower young people through Code Clubs

Joy Agwunobi

The Nigerian Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy has partnered with Raspberry Pi Foundation, a UK-based charity that promotes computing education, to launch Code Clubs in Nigeria. The goal of the partnership is to expose young people to coding and digital technology, and to encourage them to use creative problem-solving in their everyday lives.

The initiative, designed for students aged 7 to 17, aims to provide computer science education in Nigeria through the establishment of after-school Code Clubs. The goal is to create spaces where people can learn to code and help nurture a new generation of digitally literate and innovative young people in the country.

The Code Clubs will begin in 17 knowledge exchange centres and expand to other locations across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

The Code Club partners will have access to a range of learning paths covering a broad spectrum of coding and technology-related subjects, including introductory courses, game development, web development, programming languages, algorithms and problem solving, robotics and electronics, and project-based learning.

As part of the partnership, the Raspberry Pi Foundation will provide educators and learners with comprehensive toolkits, support, and guidelines, while the Ministry will facilitate the establishment and operation of the Code Clubs across the country by working with local partners.

The partners, including individuals, educational institutions and organisations passionate about computer education, will receive support, resources and operational guidelines from a central coordinating organisation. This will help ensure that the Code Clubs are effectively run and deliver quality computer science education to young people across the country.

Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, emphasised that creating a knowledge pipeline represented by young minds is critical to Nigeria’s efforts to become a global hub for technical knowledge. He added that joining the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s global network of free coding clubs will help the country develop the digital skills and talent it needs to grow its digital economy.”

According to Philip Colligan, CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, partnering with the Nigerian Government to inspire the next generation of digital makers is a fantastic opportunity. He noted further that Code Clubs provide young people with the opportunity to get creative with computers and digital technologies, opening up a world of possibilities.