Telecom company, 9mobile, in partnership with the Lagos State Government, plans to teach at least one million Lagos residents how to code by 2019.
In line with the vision of the Code Lagos initiative, a coding centre has been launched in one of the company’s adopted schools, Rabiatu Thompson Primary School, Surulere, Lagos.
Code Lagos has 9mobile as one of its key partners, with the telecommunications firm setting up coding centres in its adopted schools.
Speaking at the launch, acting director, regulatory and corporate affairs, 9mobile, Oluseyi Osunsedo, said the telecom firm’s partnership with the Lagos State government on Code Lagos was borne out of its commitment to education and the empowerment of young Nigerians to succeed in the digital age.
“As a company committed to promoting academic excellence, 9mobile has introduced a number of initiatives that contribute to sustainable development in Nigeria. One of such initiatives is our Adopt-A-School programme, through which we have adopted four schools for life, and are driving the delivery of qualitative primary and secondary education, in partnership with respective state governments.
“In sustaining our commitment, we have collaborated with the Lagos State Government, on the laudable Code Lagos initiative, and we are launching a fully equipped coding centre at Rabiatu Thompson Primary School,” the company said.
Osunsedo encouraged the students to maximally utilise the coding centre, and expressed the hope that in another 15 years, the school would have produced some of the ICT gurus that would create phenomenal programs that add value to life.
The Director-general, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Ronke Soyombo, who represented the Special Adviser on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh, at the launch, stated that the state government was strongly committed to Code Lagos, and thanked 9mobile for its unrelenting support for the initiative.
Soyombo said, “Lagos State government aims at making coding education framework accessible to every student in Lagos State by encouraging the private sector to key into this new initiative, as the state would continue to create an enabling environment conducive for investment.”