Please, can we meet you?
My name is Babatunde Olaifa; the country head of GOMYCODE, Nigeria.
Tell us what GOMYCODE is all about
GOMYCODE is a digital tech start-up company. We run a network of schools; both physical and online where we train people on the mostly demanded tech skills. Our mission is to accelerate Africa’s journey to the digital economy. We do this by equipping our trainees with these skills. We run free weekly summer lessons to train people, especially youngsters. We also run special programmes, about 25 of them, including five month-programmes where people are trained on java, graphics, AI, etc.
Our trainees have a guarantee of getting jobs within six months after their training because of their expertise.
How long have you been here?
We’ve been in existence for about six years now; established in Tunisia in 2017 to be precise but are now in nine countries. We came into Nigeria about a year ago with our presence in Ikeja, Lekki, Yaba and Festac Town in Lagos and now entering Abuja. We’ve trained over 30,000 across the globe and over a thousand in Nigeria in the last one year.
What’s the future of tech in Nigeria?
We’re in a world where everything is going digital. There’s hardly a field now that technology is not involved. In fact, the future is in tech. Soon, people without tech skills won’t be able to fit into the system. There are several opportunities in technology and those with tech skills can become employers of labour in their own little corner. So, while some will be losing jobs because of technology, the emergence of AI (Artificial intelligence) for instance, others will be getting employed through technology while some others will become employers because of technology. So, it’s a fifty-fifty thing.
The world is evolving into a tech-economy. There are over 200 million tech jobs available but less manpower to fill the vacuum. We get thousands of emails from tech companies seeking tech-skilled workers but only few experts are available. Africa is seriously lagging behind in technology and we’re trying to bridge the gap. In Nigeria, for instance, there are many graduates without tech skills, hence, roaming the streets without jobs. This ought not to be so. We have to skill-up as a people to avoid losing out.
Technology is the key; the way forward. It brings innovation, boosts efficiency and productivity.
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