Today, computing technology represents a major source of growth and development all across the world, but there are few regions where it is proving more vital than Africa.
The last decade has seen hundreds of tech startups emerging across Africa, driving innovation and providing significant employment, particularly for its youth population. However, It is also a well-documented fact that the African continent has not kept pace as it should with global technological advancement.
Conversations around global, high-tech innovations typically focus on the United States, Europe and Asia, largely ignoring Africa despite its status as the world’s second-largest continent. Researchers have estimated that at least a quarter of the population of Africa has internet access, with some perspective that three-quarters of residents will be connected by 2030. While these numbers show potential, they do not represent closing of the global competence gap.
The Talent Gap:
The bulk of the problem lies with a scarcity of top-level talents in tech. Amidst a ‘Japa Wave’ that drains the available talents and the inadequacy of most Institutions of Higher Education to churn out competent talents in tech, there simply aren’t enough competent people to fill in gaps and help the continent innovate faster.
Pluralcode’s Move:
The most accessible way to build Africa’s relevance in the fast-globalizing world of technology is to produce more high-level talent, which in turn leads to more innovation, which then draws in more investment and global interest. Pluralcode has stepped up to the challenge to build one of Africa’s largest Schools of Technology. Nduka Ukpabi (Founder & Chief Executive Officer) explained this mission in his own words.
“Our mission is to create a school, an essential talent incubator where thousands of young Africans every year can learn important skills and access the career opportunities they need in order to compete globally. We cannot shy away from what needs to be done and so we have to take on this mission one step at a time”
There’s no doubt that there’s been some tech acceleration being cultivated across Africa – in the year 2021, African tech startups pulled in over $4 Billion of external investment, which is a major uptick from 2019 where about $2 Billion worth of investment was pulled in (TechCrunch cited). This is an indicator that the continent is ready to play in the major leagues and as such, it is important that we upskill the continent’s young population as well to match this demand.
PluralCode’s approach to education not only trains students to be professionals but prepares them for job opportunities with their Career Labs Initiative which exposes them to the challenges they will encounter and opportunities they need in order to break into the industry post-studies; something which is lacking in many traditional learning institutes. Students can also access programs across Design, Product, Data, Engineering, Cloud and Blockchain Faculties and benefit from excellent mentors and learning flexibility to fit into their daily pursuits.
“Our flexibility both in learning schedule and tuition plans allows us to champion inclusiveness both of different economic classes and different backgrounds and professions.” Nduka Ukpabi added.
One thing is fact, high tech skills have never been fully taught in tertiary institutions, which is a factor negating the development of technology in Africa. That’s why it’s imperative that tech schools provide these platforms for young people to learn. PluralCode is set to be at the forefront of that initiative with solutions that significantly breaks down the barriers to acquiring a profitable skill.
