A popular Nigerian musician Mr. Eazi has partnered with Decagon, a software development institute to sponsor at least five individuals from Ogun State for training in software engineering.
The partnership follows the opening of applications by Decagon for its 6 months training program which includes accommodation, feeding, laptop, internet, and a monthly stipend, followed by an immediate job placement into companies like Access Bank, Sterling Bank, and eTranzact after graduating.
Founded in 2018 by Chika Nwobi, Decagon Institute has a mission to train 5000 software engineers, creating 30,000 jobs, and generating about $1 billion in export revenue by 2023.
The institute has had three squad graduations so far; squad 1 (7 graduates), squad 2 (22 graduates), and squad 3 (34 graduates).
Read more How Decagon is tackling software talent deficit one squad at a time
Training software engineers around the world is an expensive venture, more so in Nigeria. Andela once told BusinessDay that training one engineer takes as much as $10,000 (N3.6 million).
Decagon said it spends N3 million on every candidate they train. Cost and the need to ensure only the best-qualified candidates make the program are partly the reason for the rigorous selection process the company has adopted.
“For some who do not have access to someone in their family or network to stand in for them, Mr. Eazi is providing a lifeline and this is the type of collaboration that will move Nigeria forward,” Chika Nwobi, CEO of Decagon, said.
Successful applicants of the 2021 program are required to have a credible guarantor in order to access the Pay-Later model. This requirement has proven difficult for some participants in the past. This is why Mr. Eazi is stepping in as a guarantor for five successful candidates from Ogun State. The participants must either be indigenes or residing in the state.
Mr. Eazi is a singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is passionate about music and any program that supports emerging talent in Africa.in June 2020 Mr. Eazi launched the African Music Fund (AMF) with an initial investment of $20 million dedicated to African creatives. He recently launched the emPawa initiative to provide a hundred African artists with funding to shoot their music videos.
“I’ve always been passionate about helping young people and pushing them to be the best version of themselves. For some of them, their talents naturally align with software engineering. I am happy to support this initiative in the hopes that they can support themselves and their families,” Mr. Eazi said.
Interested candidates can apply before November 22nd for this program by visiting http://applications.decagonhq.com. They do not require payment fees until the trainees have graduated and started working and earning salaries.
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