Africell launches coding bootcamp – Politico Sierra Leone

By Hajaratu Kalokoh

The telecommunications operator Africell has launched its much publicised coding bootcamp for pupils in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.

The bootcamp was officially launched on Thursday, although the learning process had commenced earlier on Monday August 5^th.

Officials of Africell said the program targets a total of 180 pupils, 30 each from the three categories. The first set of 90 pupils started on Monday and their session will last until after two weeks, before the second set of 90 commences learning.

Bailor Jalloh, Human Resource Manager of Africell, told Politico following the launch that the application to participate was open to the public for everyone to have the opportunity to apply online or through paper base application.

According to Jalloh, the applicants went through a process in which their grades at mathematics and other numeric subjects were look at, as well as oral interviews. He said the participants will be taught about computer usage, basics of codding and how to develop apps.

“This is a very good move that has been made by Africell so that pupils and students have the opportunity to learn how to code and give them the foundation to build a career on computer programming,” he said.

Codding is a process of using a programming language to get a computer to perform how you want it to. Through codding pupils can make their own interactive stories, arts, games, etc., which expose them to the age of digitalization.

David Sengeh, Director of Science, Technology and Innovation, who was present at the launch, in a statement said that age did not really matter when it comes to learning, noting that the one thing that matters is that when they realized that they are a leader.

“The tools you are learning does not have any hierarchy. The codding language does not matter. It is the communication and the ways we arrange our thought process that most matter,” said Sengeh.

“It is precisely because we have economic problem that we need to write the code to help solve economic problems. It is precisely because we have a health crisis that you need to write artificial intelligence codes to help the health care [system],” he stressed.

 According to Sengeh, what participants take away from this codding camp is a way of thinking and problem solving.

“When we think about ecosystem, the private sector and development plans that we engage in, it is about exploring and understanding how we create the future we want,” he said.

A Lebanon-based technology firm, Geek Express, was contracted to provide the teaching. One of its instructors, Naik Debbane, said they were poised to prepare the participants for future jobs which is related to technology and internet.

“We share the same vision with Africell, to see Sierra Leone grow through technology and through this bootcamp,” he said.

Debbane noted that technology comprises a lot of tools and gadgets, all coming in various sizes, and that what is important is all that go to the same thing which is coding.

Joe Abass Bangura, Cooperate Affairs chief of Africell, noted that the digital economy makes things easier by sitting at the comfort of your house and make transactions.

According to Bangura, digital economy cut down on cost, makes things faster, adds transparency and makes things more efficient.

“Therefore, one of the biggest pillars to create the digital economy is to create a responsive educational system; an educational system that responds to data environment where young people have opportunity to learn,” he stated.

© 2019 Politico Online