ARM, Lagos government partner to equip youths on coding technology

Determined to bridge the gap between education, technology and business innovations, ARM Investment Managers, and the Lagos State Government are floating a new scheme tagged, “Code Lagos” to equip young Nigerians on latest coding techniques.

Code Lagos is aimed at educating Lagos State residents for the future of work – by teaching them how to write code and creatively solve problems. The scheme will run in public and private schools in the state, from primary to tertiary institutions and public libraries.

The Chief Executive Officer, ARM, Jumoke Ogundare, at the unveiling of the new scheme yesterday, said the Code Lagos project would make more youths employable, stay afloat with innovations across the globe as well as contributing meaningfully to the growth of the nation’s economy.

Ogundare, who stated that her company would be providing 15 of the 750 centres planned by the state government in three years, enjoined students to take advantage of the scheme to grow their talents.

She said: “We believe that an economy can only grow if people are literate and aware of things happening in the society and globally. For us, we see education as the foundation for any good society. When you bring business and education together, it is then that the economy can really grow to an enviable level.

“As we get more educated people, it would be easy for companies to employ people, because they are now well-equipped to contribute meaningfully to the growth of businesses,” she said.

Ogundare said the company is partnering with Lagos State Ministry of Education because it believed they have the zeal to make the economy work, as they pursue their goals vigorously.

The Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Education, Obafela Enitan, said the scheme is targeting one million people by 2019, who are expected to be trained by professional facilitators contracted by the government.

According to him, the government will launch the first phase of 350 centres in April this year. He said: “Coding is the future, because there is level of coding on everything we do on daily basis, this will expand your mind and you will never be the same person again. This is something that is being done in other countries. United Kingdom, United States and India and a host of others countries that have taken codes to a great level and it has contributed majorly to their economy.

So what we are doing is to make them learn the skills and make them more employable for corporate Nigerians to get workers that will add value to their company. To us in government, we need a workforce that can drive our economy, and it is focused at ensuring that we have quality minds that can drive this economy,”