African Development Bank opens second digital skills centre in Kenya

The African Development Bank has opened a second Information and Communications Technology Centre of Excellence at the United States International University-Africa in Nairobi as part of its Coding for Employment program.

The African Development Bank’s Coding for Employment program is mandated with developing the capacity of African youth by equipping them with practical 21st-century skills, as well as employability and entrepreneurship skills, to increase their competitiveness in local and global labour markets. It is funded through a partnership between the Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Technical partners, Junior Achievement Kenya, and Microsoft joined the Bank and Rockefeller Foundation to establish this second centre in Kenya. These centres are open to youth aged 15 – 35 who have enrolled in the Coding for Employment program, and who do not qualify or have the means to attend traditional university programs. Coding for Employment and its partners aim to reach over 1,800 Kenyan youth through the two centres.

“The United States International University-Africa is excited to partner with the African Development Bank in this initiative because it perfectly aligns with the University’s strategic plan that aims to educate our young people for complex global challenges and be the changemakers in Africa,” said the University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Margee Ensign.

Some perks for Coding for Employment program beneficiaries include access to demand-driven digital skills, entrepreneurship, and soft skills curriculum to boost their employability in information and communications technology or tech-enabled sectors. The university centre is equipped with 40 computers, printers, desks, ergonomic office chairs, an equipped conference room, and projectors.

The program first opened the first Kenyan centre of excellence at the University of Nairobi in March 2022.  Overall, online and in-person Coding for Employment programs have reached 152,000 youth across the continent.