Gomycode wants Nigeria to bridge digital skills gap

EDUCATION Technology platform, Gomycode, is worried that Nigeria needs to bridge the digital skills gap that currently exists in the country to compete favourably.

Specifically, Gomycode said about four million job openings are currently in the digital industry globally, stressing that 150 million people in the workforce in Nigeria, other parts of Africa and Middle East do not have the necessary skills in the field.

According to it, while 230 million digital jobs will be available in sub- Saharan Africa by 2030, there is going to be 200 million youths ( 15 to 35 years old) in the region, necessitating the need to tap opportunities that space brings.

To bridge this digital skills gap, Gomycode, at the unveiling of its new hackerspace in Yaba, Lagos, said it planned to open 80 of such spaces and train about 100, 000 students per year by 2024.

General Manager, Gomycode Nigeria, Babatunde Olaifa, said the firm’s plan is to provide a scalable and sustainable educational platform for the youth in Africa and Middle East.

Speaking at the unveiling of the new hackerspace, Olaifa said the place boasts of five floors and has a capacity five times larger than the old one ( the previous hackerspace could accommodate 120 students simultaneously, this can accommodate up to 600 students).

Olaifa said the platform is pushing the limits on students’ experience to the next level with three floors of classrooms each dedicated to teaching.