Finland partners Nigerian firm to train students on coding

No fewer than 160 secondary school students in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja have been trained in computer coding technique by Finland government in partnership with Ventures Platform, a Nigerian technology innovation company.

The project, sponsored by Nokia, a Finnish global telecoms company in collaboration with Aalto University, is designed to produce a new generation of technologists with more female participation in technology driven inventions, the organizers said.

Finland Ambassador to Nigeria, Pirjo Suomela Chowdhury, who hosted the students after the training, reminded them that technology was an integral part of future development. He stressed that the world needs increased participation of women in technology alongside their male counterparts.

Chowdhury said the training was part of a series of activities to commemorate the 100 years anniversary of Finland while various training events in other African countries would continue over the next 100 days its ‘Code Bus Africa’ programme.

She stressed the participating students demonstrated enthusiasm to further learn more about coding, having demonstrated high intelligent quotient (IQ).

“The project focuses primarily on young people. This innovative activity consists of creating coding training through a workshop where students learn coding and to produce their own songs with free source platform Sonic Pi.”

And the program was designed in such a way that half of the participants were female. The aim is to boost grassroots level teaching of computer programming and to contribute to long-term efforts to promote quality technology driven education for male and female students with global skills,” she said.

Obioha Mimshach, one of the facilitators from Ventures Platform, said the company was selected to provide content and logistics for the training and liaison with government authorities for selection of participating schools.

He explained that the company works as Eco system enablers to help people with good technology business ideas develop with $20,000 financial support.

The participating schools were Government Girls Secondary School, Dutse, Model Secondary School, Maitama, Government Day Secondary School, Wuse 2 and Government Secondary School, Jabi.