The African Development Bank's Coding for Employment digital skills program marks a milestone of 130,000 users across Africa. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in lockdowns and school closures across the continent, Coding for Employment platforms have seen a dramatic increase in user numbers.

On the occasion of International Youth Day, the African Development Bank announces the registration of 130,000 users in its Coding for Employment program. According to the institution, this milestone comes as Coding for Employment strives to equip young Africans with information and communication technology, entrepreneurship training and soft skills to compete in a Digital Economy. The program's online platforms offer high-demand technical courses such as web development, design, data science, and digital marketing for free. Indeed, explains the AfDB, with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in lockdowns and school closures across the continent, Coding for Employment platforms have seen a dramatic increase in the number of users. During a one-week period in September 2020, registrations soared 38.5%. “To win the battle against poverty in Africa, we must equip our youth with digital skills that will enable them to access the jobs of tomorrow,” said Martha Phiri, Director of the Department of Human Capital, Youth and Youth Development Bank skills.

Students who took online courses in the wake of Covid-19 in Africa said learning or improving digital skills helped them advance their careers. Following the pilot program, Coding for Employment online courses are now available in 45 countries. Coding for Employment aims to create over 9 million jobs and reach 32 million young people and women across Africa. The Coding for Jobs program is part of the Bank's Jobs for Youth in Africa Initiative. The online training program kicked off alongside the planned physical coding upgrade of the Piloted Employment-branded Centers of Excellence in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire. The Bank aims to develop up to 130 centers across the continent within a decade. The leading digital training platform Coding for Employment was launched in December 2019 in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation and Microsoft. It is accessible on mobile devices even in low internet connectivity settings and has an affordable, easy to navigate, secure and private interface.