The African Development Bank together with partners – The Rockefeller Foundation Microsoft and Facebook – launched the Coding for Employment Programme at the African Innovation Summit in Kigali, Rwanda.

By training youth in demand-driven Information and Communications Technology (ICT) curriculum and matching graduates directly with ICT employers, this new programme prepares Africa’s youth for tomorrow’s jobs and unleashes the next generation of young digital innovators from the continent.

Coding for Employment is expected to lead to the creation of over 9 million jobs and reach 32 million youth and women across Africa.

The  programme is part of the African Development Bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa Initiative, which aims to put Africa’s youth on a path to prosperity.

By 2025, the Jobs for Youth in Africa Initiative aims to have equipped 50 million youth with employable skills and create 25 million jobs in agriculture, information communications and technology and other key industries across Africa.

The youth population  across the continent is rapidly growing and by 2050, is expected to double to over 830 million.

Yet, the digital divide in Africa persists and critical skills gap pose serious challenges to youth securing quality and decent work in a rapidly changing workforce.

"Coding for Employment accelerates investments in Africa’s most valuable resource – its young women and men. Our partnership with the African Development Bank will establish 130 Centers of Excellence across Africa to help bridge the gap between the digital hiring news of employers and the skills of Africa’s youth,” affirmed Mamadou Biteye, OBE, The Rockefeller Foundation’s Managing Director for Africa.

According to Ghada Khalifa, Director of Microsoft Philanthropies for the Middle East and Africa, "Digital skills are fast becoming essential for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Unfortunately, these skills are beyond the reach of too many young people in Africa,” she said.

"We are excited to partner with the African Development Bank on the launch of the coding for employment programme in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal. Coding for Employment ensures digital skills are accessible to young people and supports youth with securing meaningful opportunities where they can apply their talents, ideas and expertise to advance the continent’s economic and social development,” said Sherry Dzinoreva, Head of Policy Programs at Facebook.

"Investments in youth through programmes like Coding for Employment can stimulate inclusive economic growth, put Africa and its youth on the cutting edge of technological innovations and ensure the digital transformation of Africa is led and managed by young Africans for the benefit of the people of Africa,” said Oley Dibba-Wadda, Director of Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development at the African Development Bank.