By Andrew Nsoseka
Some 60 girls in Buea, Cameroon’s southwest have been urged to make good use of coding skills to help themselves and also contribute to the development of Cameroon.
The call was made Tuesday, April 14, by the UN Women Resident Representative for Cameroon, Marie Pierre Raky Chaupin.
She was addressing the selected young girls at the Higher Institute of Management Studies (HIMS), Buea, during the launching of a boot camp – African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) – a flagship program led by the International Telecommunication Union.
The boot camp, lasting for five days, aims to equip girls aged between 14 and 25 with essential digital and coding skills, strengthen their self-confidence, and inspire them to pursue careers in programming, artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital entrepreneurship.
According to the UN Women Resident Representative, the innovative coding initiative is combine with an enhanced, interactive, and multilingual online learning program, hosted on the ITU academy platform, with intensive in-person training sessions.
“Digital technology is a powerful tool to transform your lives, your communities, and your country. The skills you will acquire here will not only open doors to employment and entrepreneurship but will also enable you to contribute meaningfully to Cameroon’s development, drive innovation, and help build a more inclusive and prosperous society,” Marie Pierre Raky Chaupin said, adding that the training will go a long way to close the gender gap in the fields of ICT and STEM.
Since its inception in 2018, the African Girls Can Code Initiative has grown into a comprehensive, multifaceted program combining national and regional boot camps, a train-the-trainers program, and an enhanced online learning pathway delivered by ITU.
“This is one of the most impactful ways to expand digital skills and reduce the gender digital divide,” Tahiry Pakotoheriniaina, ITU Representative, told the girls. “During this boot camp, you will learn, explore coding, robotics, cybersecurity, web design, digital creativity, and artificial intelligence.”
She however encouraged the learners to remain curious, bold, and confident. For Arrah Blessing Esuma, Program Coordinator for Girls Excel Cameroon, they need women to measure up in the different IT spaces as well. Explaining why HIMS was chosen, she said they needed a space that would be easy for them to implement while reaching out to several.
“We understand many girls are getting into tech, especially in the city of Buea, moving from other parts of the region, but there are still many girls that have not had access, and we brought it here because we have the personalities that have the know-how and technical abilities to push it and give the quality we want,” she said.
According to Benyella Njeku, the technical partner, the boot camp is not designed to make the girls professionals but to create in them an interest for STEM-based professions.
“We had applications from more than 80 girls, but we could only accommodate 60 because of logistics and location,” he said.
The UN Women and its partners hope that by the end of the five-day training, the girls will have accomplished their objectives.