Tech experts urge beneficiaries of GetBundi’s free coding courses to maximise opportunity

GetBundi Education Foundation has kicked off the first edition of its free coding training for 500 African women, with experts in the technology sector admonishing beneficiaries to take the training seriously and make the best out of it.

The experts, who spoke during the opening ceremony of the free online coding courses tagged TechSis 2023, which held virtually on June 1, said the training has the potential to bridge the gender gap in the male-dominated tech industry, give women and girls a better deal, and also prepare them to assume their rightful place at the heights of the digital economy.

The free coding training taking place from June 1 to August 31, 2023 is an initiative of GetBundi Education Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of GetBundi Education Technology.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prof Florence Emenalo, Director, Centre for Women and Gender Studies, Imo State University, reiterated the unequal representation and participation of women in the technology sector, saying this was observable in the gender ratios of female students pursuing degrees in tech-related disciplines, as well as the low percentage of women in technical roles within the industry.

“There is a general lack of interest in technology for young girls when they begin to think about potential careers. Only 3 percent of them say a career in technology is their first choice,” she said in a presentation titled ‘TechSis 2023: Bridging the Gender Divide in Digital Technology in Africa’.

Prof Emenalo, who was guest speaker at the event, lauded GetBundi for taking the initiative to support 500 African women aged 18 and above to learn coding, which is a top-demand skill, for free to make them well-positioned to take up well-paying jobs, thereby creating a source of income for themselves.

She also lauded GetBundi for projecting to support the upskilling of 10 million Africans in the next 10 years through STEM and STI digital skills acquisition via a strategy tagged “The GetBundi Vision 2033”, but urged the edtech platform to ensure the up-skilling of more women than men.

“To the beneficiaries of this great gesture by a start-up, I enjoin you to take it very seriously and make the best out of it. Women have a role to play too if we must bridge the gender divide in tech. Show commitment, resilience and be the change we seek in the industry,” she said.

By Guardian Nigeria

https://guardian.ng/features/tech-experts-urge-beneficiaries-of-getbundis-free-coding-courses-to-maximise-opportunity/