Application is now Open for the Coding Bootcamp for African Girls in Namibia

This year, the 5th edition of the Connected Africa Girls Coding Camp was launched by ECA in collaboration with the government of The Republic of Namibia, UN Namibia, UN WOMEN, and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

100 participants from Namibia will physically attend this hybrid boot camp for young African women and girls between the ages of 12 and 25, while more than 2000 more are anticipated to participate digitally from all around the African continent.

Strengthening the ICT industry is important for Africa’s social and economic development, especially given the growing worldwide significance of technology in fostering sustainable development and progress.

In the world, gender continues to be a role in inequality, with 62% of men and 57% of women utilizing the internet, according to the ITU 2021 study. The largest digital gender gap in the world is found in Africa, where only 24% of women and 35% of males utilize the internet.

As a result, there are still large discrepancies in African women’s engagement in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) fields. The lack of access prevents young women and girls from taking advantage of the internet’s advantages and from participating more actively in academic and professional life, particularly in sectors that rely on technology.

Thus, the African Connected Girls initiative aims to close this digital divide by equipping young African women and girls with the fundamental knowledge and abilities needed for long-term success in the fields of education, employment, and entrepreneurship, as well as by fostering an environment that encourages cooperation.

Learning Objectives for Girls at the Coding Camp:

The four main sessions of the Namibian Connected African Girls Coding Camp will be in 3D printing, web development & gaming, IoT & robotics, and animation.

In tandem with artificial intelligence, design thinking, and computational thinking, graphic design is included as a common course. Additionally, this camp will provide master sessions on Agenda 2063, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and gender-based violence.

An innovation fair will be held on the last day of the program, giving the girls a chance to present the projects they worked on throughout the coding boot camp while focusing on ideas that offer solutions to the socioeconomic problems facing the continent.

The participants in the last four coding camps created 198 original projects, of which 40 received awards for their community service.

This link will take you to the registration page. The registration deadline is August 15, 2022, at 17:59 EAT.