Over nearly a decade, SAP Africa Code Week (ACW), in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), and Irish Aid, has empowered 17 million young individuals across 54 countries with digital skills.
These efforts align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Quality Education, Gender Equality, and Partnerships for the Goals.
In 2023 alone, the program impacted over 2.4 million youth, with about 46% being female. This highlights a strong commitment to gender equality.
Additionally, the initiative conducted over 1,200 workshops, engaging 25,550 teachers across Africa. Key participating countries included Tunisia, Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Morocco.
Addressing the Growing Need for Digital Skills in Africa
With an anticipated 70% of jobs in Africa requiring digital skills by 2030, SAP recognized the importance of upskilling both students and educators on the continent. This led to the launch of the digital skills program nine years ago.
Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for EMEA and MEE, Claire Gillissen-Duval emphasizes the crucial role of public-private partnerships in ACW’s success.
“These partnerships facilitated the integration of coding into national curricula, ensuring youth access to essential skill sets.”
Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information at UNESCO, Dr Tawfik Jelassi praises ACW’s collaborative approach, citing its alignment with SDG Goal 17 on Partnerships for Sustainable Development.
Fostering Talent and Creativity Through Initiatives
As part of ACW, the AfriCAN Code Challenge was launched in 2020, encouraging youth aged 8-16 to develop coding skills through a pan-African competition.
The challenge aims to nurture coding talent for sustainable development.
This year’s winner was Welcome to My Africa by Triaksha Goodoory, Vignesh Singh Khelawon, Alessia Rughoonundun, Palen Chuckravanen from Mauritius; followed by PaloPood by Alvinho Rodrigues, Bibiana Pinheiro, Taíssa Pereira, Celma Bernardo from Sao Tome & Principe; with CodeManiacs by Eze Chikelu Jethro, Oruh Excel Odafe,Abubakar Ramadan and Olowode Wilson Eniola from Nigeria coming in at 3rd place.
The theme for 2023 focused on designing multiplayer games promoting sustainable solutions for protecting life, reflecting the initiative’s commitment to addressing global challenges.
Looking ahead, SAP’s corporate social responsibility will focus on employability skills and learning-to-earning pathways. Consequently, UNESCO will take over the ACW mission from 2024 onwards, continuing to empower youth with digital skills.