Tech4Dev, Microsoft empower women in Nigeria with tech skills

Tech4Dev, Microsoft empower women in Nigeria with tech skills

Tech4Dev Nigerian Women Techsters  Microsoft Nigeria

Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative, Tech4Dev, is a Nigerian non-profit organization working with Microsoft to skill more women with tech skills.

The partnership program with Microsoft Nigeria has seen women trained in coding and deep tech skills. Through an experiential learning initiative called the Nigerian Women Techsters.

With partners like Microsoft we have been able to train 2475 women across 12 states in Nigeria for free, says Diwura Oladepo, Executive Director Tech4Dev.

Nigerian Women Techsters takes women from varying backgrounds through a cohort of 12 weeks.

Training them in coding and analytical skills. As well as exposing them to available employment and entrepreneurship opportunities within the technology space.

The digital skill tracks covered include, web and mobile application development, games development and embedded systems.

Fatima Ahmed a participant of the Tech4Dev Nigerian Women Techsters program shares her experience.

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Fatima is a chemistry graduate from the University of Ilorin. Like many other Nigerians, she couldn’t get any job after her national youth service program. She recalls a friend telling her about the opportunities in tech.

Coincidentally at that time another friend told me about the Nigerian Women Techsters program. Where she learnt how to code and build websites. Seeing what she could do i was motivated to apply.”

She shares gaining technical and soft skills. Learning how to code and build websites, communicating effectively and working in teams.

I thought i was just coming to learn new skills and go back to apply for jobs. But during the training, i started getting job opportunities.
Today, i work as a technical support engineer at Tek Experts, where i provide cloud-based solutions. I am glad i took a bold step to come for the Nigerian Women Techsters training
.

Check out other stories making the news across Africa and Middle East region.

Ekiti State Government partners with Microsoft to train youth

Ekiti State Government partners with Microsoft to train youth

Ekiti State Government Microsoft digital skills Nigeria

The youth in Ekiti State, Nigeria, will benefit from a new collaboration between the state government and Microsoft Nigeria.

The partnership will see the youth acquire new digital skills, get certified and become employable.

Ekiti State Government will also invest about two hundred thousand dollars in two thousand participants with free vouchers to earn an industry-recognized Microsoft IT certificate.

The initiative is in tandem with Microsoft’s global skills initiative. Which plans to have about twenty-five million people gain new digital skills worldwide by March 2021.

The government notes the initiative is geared at the unemployed and underemployed. And part of the governor’s actions to mitigate the economic impact of covid-19.

Learners will have the opportunity to skill up in ten learning paths. Microsoft projects these as the in-demand jobs of the future with livable wages.

The government is also working with three local hubs; GoGlobal Hub, Glimpse Solutions and Christore Hub in the initiative. These hubs will confirm competition of the selected course and issue participant with the certification exams voucher.

Here’s what to know to participate in the digital skills program.

Firstly, you’ll need to be a resident of Ekiti State to be eligible to participate in the program.

Secondly, you’ll need to have access to the internet and a device to complete the lessons.

Thirdly, you’ll need to register on the program website. Select a course to study and a hub for post training verification.

Once you have completed all the learning modules, you will download and print the issued certificate of completion. Present this at the hub to get a voucher to pay for the Microsoft certification exams. You will have about two weeks to take the exams.

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Check out other stories making the news in the technology ecosystem in Africa and the Middle East.

TD Tech Experience Centre to host Microsoft technology envisioning sessions

TD Tech Experience Centre to host Microsoft technology envisioning sessions

Tech Experience Centre Microsoft Nigeria technology envisioning sessions TD Africa lagos

Microsoft Nigeria is taking advantage of TD Africa’s Tech Experience Centre to promote customer immersive experiences.

The centre will allow the company host Microsoft technology solution envisioning sessions with customers, says General Manager Akin Banuso. He noted the envisioning sessions will be like a window into the future and present of possibilities.

Technology Distribution Ltd, also known as TD Africa has launched what it calls the world’s first Tech Experience Centre with a convergence of Global IT giants in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

The technology experience centre is housed in the eight-story Yudala Heights. It seeks to add value to Nigeria’s information, communication and technology ecosystem.

By bringing together under one roof global technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, HP, Dell, Cisco, Schneider Electric. To offer hands-on experiences of new solutions, infrastructure and devices. 

Tech Experience Centre Nigeria, Lagos Africa TD Microsoft

Microsoft and the Tech Experience Centre

The Tech Experience Centre will play an extremely strategic role in enabling us in Nigeria to build and work with our customers to envision solutions that will move us forward to the future we require. This ought to help with showing our customers what I would call ‘The art of the possible’.

Akin Banuso, General Manager Microsoft Nigeria

The centre is something Microsoft needs to be a part of, notes Josh Adekeye, Microsoft Senior Partner.

For us at Microsoft, when we heard about the Tech Experience Centre, we knew that it was something we needed to participate in. Before now, we usually fly our customers to Microsoft Technology Centre either in Dubai or in the US.
However, when this opportunity came, we indicated interest and supported TD Africa to achieve it. We will always support the Centre. The beauty of technology is in seeing it.
What Microsoft brings to the table is customer immersive experience. It means the customer will see the technology, feel the impact and make their decision easily and quickly.

Josh Adekeye, Senior Partner Specialist – Modern Workplace Microsoft

World class training

The centre will afford young Nigerians the opportunity to receive world-class training on the latest technology says Chidalu Ekeh, head of the centre. He noted, TD Africa is creating a path in Nigeria where state-of-the-art technology will be accessible to CEOs, CIOs, CTOs and other technology consumers. So that they can make prompt decisions without leaving the country.

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What is it like being a Microsoft software engineer in Africa? Find out amazing experiences, products they are building

What is it like being a Microsoft software engineer in Africa? Find out amazing experiences, products they are building

Microsoft software engineers Africa

Update:
New date for Nigeria event announced.
Watch the full Kenya event below.

Join Microsoft Africa Development Center software engineer and program managers as they share their journey and experiences. Also, get to know the Microsoft product and services they are and have been working on. Finally, find out what it will take for you to join them in this virtual meetup.

There will be two virtual meetup sessions for each site location. The site in Lagos focuses on building Microsoft AI and Mixed reality services. Whilst the Nairobi team builds solutions and experiences for Windows and Microsoft 365. Click to register to participate in the event. There will be a Q&A session. so come with questions.

Introducing the Africa Development Center in Nigeria will now take place on the 4th of March 2021, 5:00 pm-6:00 pm (GMT+1). It was earlier scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 21 October ​at 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm West Africa Time (GMT +1)​. But due to the end SARS protests Microsoft has since postponed the Nigeria event and will be announcing a future date.

Read details of this below.

Then Introducing the Africa Development Center in Kenya on Thursday, 22 October 2020 ​at 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm East Africa Time (GMT +3).

Our team has been thoroughly assessing the recent situation (ENDSARS protest) in Nigeria, and based on the latest news, we decided to postpone our live event for a more suitable date in the future. We will come back with regular communications regarding the potential date of the event.

Missed the Nairobi, Kenya event? Watch the it below.

Microsoft Africa Development Centre history

Last year Microsoft committed to investing about 100 million dollars in a global development centre in Africa. The Microsoft Africa Development centre initiative launched with two sites to be located in Nairobi, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria. With plans to recruit 500 software engineers by 2023 to staff the centres.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella notes the Microsoft Africa Development Center will be at the forefront of building innovative solutions that benefit Africa and the entire world.

This year the Microsoft software engineers in Africa celebrated their first anniversary. The Lagos team also saw Azure Object Anchors mixed reality service for HoloLens become available in private preview as announced at Microsoft Ignite 2020.

Update February 22 2021, 6:40 PM GMT: Article updated with the new date and time for Nigeria event.

Update October 16 2020, 6:00 PM GMT: Article updated with additional details on the postponement of Nigeria event.
Update October 16, 6:00 PM GMT: Article updated with additional details on the postponement of Nigeria event.
Update October 27 2020, 2:30 PM GMT: Article updated with Youtube video of the Nairobi, Kenya event.

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Microsoft Africa Development Center software engineers celebrate one year of working for the company

Microsoft Africa Development Center software engineers celebrate one year of working for the company

Microsoft software engineers Africa

July 2020 signalled a milestone for Microsoft in Africa and most importantly local software engineers working with the company.

Microsoft celebrated one year of hiring African software engineers to work in its Africa based global development center.

Some of these software engineers took to social media to share the one-year anniversary package they received from Microsoft. Check out some of the posts below. Thereafter we will look at how far the company has come on its journey with the continent.

https://twitter.com/techmarcs/status/1278966343568625664?s=20

Africa is a unique opportunity … we are opening these development centers … where you see people who are very qualified for the kind of work we do

Phil Spencer, executive sponsor of the Microsoft ADC

Microsoft in Africa

Microsoft has been operating in Africa for the past thirty years. Having local offices in Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt. With South Africa hosting the oldest Microsoft offices in Africa.

However, this has mainly been on the sales side of the business. Providing consumers and organizations, mostly governmental ones with various services. The closest you could come to Microsoft workers in Africa were either through partner organizations or Microsoft employees acting as technical account managers who implement, onboard and deploy Microsoft services for customers and clients.

Microsoft and Software Engineers in Africa

Last year the company announced it was opening its first Africa Global Development center. A decade after it announced plans to create a network of 90 software development centers around the world. The 100 million-dollar Microsoft Africa Development Center has sites in Lagos and Nairobi.

The launch event came off on the backdrop of a lot of backlash to self-professed Africa’s biggest online e-commerce site Jumia. The CEO had claimed a lack of local software engineering talent. Microsoft shared it believed in the growing local talent and that it was time to tap into that pool.

Phil Spencer, Microsoft corporate vice president and executive sponsor of the Africa Development Center, and Michael Fortin, corporate vice president at Microsoft and the lead in establishing the first ADC engineering team in Nairobi, led the pomp and pageant opening ceremonies in Nairobi, Kenya and were joined by Microsoft Technical Fellow, Alex Kipman, for the Lagos launch event.

The Nairobi Microsoft Africa Development Center site software engineers contribute to building Windows and Office 365 products and services. Whilst the Lagos site software engineers contribute to building Microsoft Azure services that power new Augmented Reality experiences.

At the launch events, Microsoft executives shared the company was going to hire about five hundred software engineers by 2023, across both center sites. With plans to hire 100 software engineers by the end of 2019.

We reached out to Microsoft for the latest updates on the Microsoft Africa development centers and haven’t gotten any feedback as at publishing this. We will bring you updates when Microsoft responds.

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Andela, Microsoft launch ALCwithMicrosoft Azure Training Program

Andela, Microsoft launch ALCwithMicrosoft Azure Training Program

Azure training program Andela Learning Community Microsoft

Andela is partnering with Microsoft to bring Azure cloud skills to technologists in Kenya and Nigeria. Through the Andela Learning Community with Microsoft Azure training program.

Today, we launch the #ALCwithMicrosoft Azure Training program! Microsoft and Andela are giving you the opportunity to advance your skills in Microsoft Azure. This is in a bid to drive a collective mission to empower current and future African technologists with for high-value employment skillset. 

“The program is opened to anyone looking to grow their Azure software development skills. And is excited to learn with a community of technologists” Andela shares.

At the end of the training, shortlisted participants will receive Microsoft Azure certification exam vouchers.

Visit the program page for more details on how to participate.

Other learning resources:

Learn Dot net, Xamarin, Docker, etc. with free videos from Microsoft.

Liquid Telecom introduces 21CSkills learning platform for the African tech enthusiast. With over 200 courses including Data Science, Blockchain, Game Development, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.

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