A total of 250 youths are set to benefit from software development training courtesy of a partnership between The Family Group Foundation and Adanian Labs Africa.
Family Bank through The Family Group Foundation has set aside Sh10 million to facilitate the four months ICT program that will impart the youth aged 18-25 years with digital skills in software development to transform their talents into employable skills.
Speaking during a breakfast meeting, Family Bank Chief Digital Officer Kevin Ayugi said that ICT and digital technology play an integral part in driving sustainability and economic development.
“As a Bank, we recognise that modern technology addresses social and economic challenges in health, agriculture, financial inclusion, education and energy,” said Ayugi.
In 2021, he added, the Africa Developer Ecosystem Report by Google conducted across 16 African nations including Kenya, showed that the demand for African computer software developers reached an all-time high in 2021 on the backdrop of the global economic crisis.
“Through this partnership and training, we want to widen the skills gap in Kenya by equipping our young leaders with cutting edge skills that will make them pioneers of digital innovations that will address social and economic challenges in our country and the continent,” he said.
In a bid to create a sustainable future and in line with the Foundation’s shared value model, Ayugi said, 100 of the 250 students consist of the alumni of the Family Group Foundation High-Scholarship program dubbed Tufuzu na Elimu.
“We aim to create a catalytic platform for young Africans that ignites the evolution of change that will directly impact, reshape and engineer the belief for the next generation to harness and own their future,” Bendon Murgor, Group Chief Technology Officer, Adanian Labs.
“We are all working towards the Pan African dream of building relevant capacity to extract value from the fourth industrial revolution. Our job is to drive that vision home using technology as our tool, in the sheer belief that software developers are the future of the industry that will help Africa flourish and conquer new heights,” Murgor added.
The training will undertake a self-paced online elementary training in programming modules ranging from foundational knowledge in computing, building web applications to personal development and entrepreneurship. The program will provide the 250 beneficiaries with a chance to join a community of peers to either advance their skills, acquire internship placements, or build their startups.
Last year, Family Bank, Adanian Labs and The Family Group Foundation sponsored 100 youth in animation, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology through a KES 5 million investment. This brings the total investment in the ICT training programme to KES 15 million.
By Catherine Muindi
