At the African Economic Conference held in Sharm el-Sheikh in early December 2019, the African Development Bank announced the launch of a digital training platform in partnership with Microsoft.
In response to the global shortage of digital expertise, particularly in Africa, this new platform, called "Coding for Employment," will be dedicated to training young Africans in coding techniques and digital skills to facilitate their entry into the job market.
Accessible in 54 African countries free of charge, the platform will offer courses focused on development, design, data science, and digital marketing. To counter the various challenges of the internet on the continent, such as the high cost of data and low connectivity rates in certain regions, the two initiators of the project designed the platform as an interface accessible on mobile devices, even with a weak internet connection.
Beyond training, this new platform is part of a larger project led by the African Development Bank to create 25 million jobs by 2025.