Lagos State government partnering ARM, a leading financial services provider, plans to create 500 coding centres in public and private schools across the state under the CodeLagos project.
CodeLagos is an initiative of the state government targeted at equipping some one million Lagosians with computer programming/digital skills aimed at making the state the technology frontier in Africa.
The programme is to be launched in April this year with about 300 of which ARM providing and equipping 15 of the centres.
Obafela Bank-Olemoh, special adviser to the state governor on education, told journalists on Tuesday, that the target was to set up 500 centres before the end of 2017. Modalities, he said, have been in place for 300 centres by April in partnership with the private sector, adding that an agreement has been concluded with ARM, one of the private sector players, for the programme.
According to Bank-Olemoh, “ARM will be setting up 15 centres and these centres will be established in low Income schools in line with Governor Akinwumi Ambode’s commitment to promoting inclusive governance and qualitative education for all citizens.
Jumoke Ogundare, CEO of ARM, said the organisation was excited about the partnership with the state on the CodeLagos initiative, saying the project was in line with the commitment of the firm towards improving access to quality education for all.
Ogundare said over the years, ARM had demonstrated in clear terms its commitment to corporate social responsibility and given its track record, “it becomes easier to partner the state on the CodeLagos, believing that it will lead to improved digital knowledge and impact positively on job and wealth creation.”
The registration and screening of facilitators for CodeLagos started last week and is ongoing. At the end of the process, 1,500 facilitators would be selected and deployed to centres across the state.
