Microsoft invited female developers in Kenya and Nigeria to participate in the Microsoft LEAP Hackathon 2019 event. An initiative of the newly launched Microsoft Africa Development center. The all-female event seeks to strengthen the place of women in technology. A four day program combining traditional classroom learning with hands on projects.
In Nigeria 30 female developers were selected from about 170 who successfully applied to participate in the event. Nelly Tadi from Abuja state was one of the 30 selected female developers. She shares with us her experience of the Microsoft LEAP Hackathon. For Nelly it was a learning curve. Learning new technologies and tools, practicing how to use them and working with a team.
“I got a forwarded message from a friend on WhatsApp and actually ignored it at first. I later went back to it, clicked on the link and started to fill the form on my phone.” She mentions almost giving up as there was a quiz section in the form where she had to write code and the phone wouldn’t allow. She however had the urge to continue because she found the quiz challenging, intriguing and wanted to solve it. “So I picked up my laptop, entered the link and started the quiz again.”
“I was super excited to be selected. I felt honored. I mean it was a Microsoft event with free accommodation and feeding. It felt important.”
Learning
“Having once participated in a hackathon event in school – Bingham University – I thought it was going to be coding throughout. We had trainings for the first two days and then the Hackathon for the remaining two days of the event. To be honest before this I had never heard about Azure, Microsoft teams and DevOps.”
Participants were taken through
writing maintainable and testable code. Learning about DevOps, Azure,
machine learning studio, virtual machines, Azure AI and other Microsoft
technologies and tools.
“The mentors were really patient with us. Going over the same thing again and again just to ensure that we were learning. The organizers, mentors were all so friendly and easy going. The atmosphere there was enough to give anybody the confidence to ask questions and learn. We hosted our web app on azure and also did a machine learning project on it with the free credit given to us. So yeah, it wasn’t just about the training, it was great because i actually got to practically use these tools.”
Hacking with Team 5X at the Microsoft LEAP Hackathon
During the hackathon Nelly Tadi was put in Team 5X. A team that saw her becoming friends with Busola Okeowo, Catherine John, Mary Olohitare Belo and Hope Oluwalolope. Learning the valuable lesson of working in a team. Nelly says “I’m so glad we learnt to understand ourselves. If not i’m quite sure we wouldn’t have been able to come up with a good project not to talk more of winning. I was really excited about winning.”
Nelly’s Team 5X won the Microsoft
LEAP Hackathon with a solution they named AGRIFY. A platform that connects buyers, sellers and transporters of good and
quality farm produce.
“We created a solution based on a real life problem. Our idea was a product called AGRIFY. Agrify is a platform to connect buyers and sellers of farm produce and also ensure delivery of good quality farm products. We used machine learning to determine quality of farm produce and built the web application with PHP Laravel. During the training we were taught how to host web apps on azure so we implemented that knowledge by hosting our demo app on https://agrify.azurewebsites.net.
Nelly Tadi lives in Abuja and is the founder of Why Code. An organization training young people in different aspects of IT. She shares “we are currently working on introducing coding clubs to schools, running summer schools and other training events. I intend to continue to pursue this dream and also keep learning more about programming and improving my skills.”
Amrote Abdella Microsoft Regional Director shares on Microsoft investing in Africa’s technology space.
Amrote Abdella speaks at Africa Investment Forum
Microsoft’s Africa Development Center [ADC] is an opportunity to hire and give exposure to young engineers coming out of universities. An opportunity to work side by side with Microsoft engineers building latest technologies. Amrote Abdella Microsoft Regional Director 4Afrika shares with hosts of The Morning Show, Arise News, Nigeria.
Africa has a huge role to play in the technology space.
In the interview she says the announcement of the datacenters and ADC is with the premise of how we [Microsoft] build skills and allow Africa be part of tech space in terms of Microsoft products. We believe Africa has a huge role to play in the tech space she says. Given how long we’ve been on the continent, we really believe it is Africa’s time to be part of the core development of technology not just consumption.
On skills development she says the IFC report on digital skills shows that by 2030, 230 million digital skills and jobs will have to be created. Microsoft is working with universities, creating the opportunity for right training through curriculum contributions.
Microsoft is also working on a bridge to the work force through its internship program. Amrote shares that the Interns4Afrika program discovers, trains, identifies and places graduates with Microsoft’s 12,000 plus partner ecosystem. This she remarks allows for a small medium enterprise to grow their business because they don’t have the resources. Giving the young graduate the opportunity to grow.
Through innovations enablement and access, we can unlock the opportunities in Africa.
Microsoft officially launched the Lagos Africa Development Center site at an event in Nigeria. The Lagos team will develop Azure services that power new Augmented Reality experiences for Microsoft’s mixed-reality platform. An investment that will enable digital transformation to create sustained societal impact in Africa says Microsoft.
Microsoft executives
Presidential Visit
Earlier in the day, Microsoft Nigeria Country manager Akin Banuso led the visiting Microsoft executives to meet with Nigerian Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.
Today, I received a delegation from the Microsoft Corporation led by Phil Spencer, the Executive Vice-President of Gaming. pic.twitter.com/ph9tvMeivi
Phil Spencer, Microsoft Executive Vice President of Gaming leading the visiting executives told the vice president about the project. He said Microsoft’s investments are an ambition on the African continent to create a global centre for excellence and development.
It is what makes Microsoft what it is.
Lagos Africa Development Center launch event
Lagos Launch event
Later at the launch event, Nigeria country Manager, Akin Banuso said “our teams will help build products with global impact. We will work with local partners and customers to improve our products for the continent and beyond. This is part of our commitment to creating opportunities for every person. It is what makes Microsoft what it is.”
Microsoft executives at the launch event included Alex Kipman, Michael Fortin and Phil Spencer. It also had other Microsoft engineers and members of the new team in Lagos.
“We have chosen Kenya and Nigeria, as they present a strategic opportunity for us to better understand a continent that is rapidly adopting cloud technology and massive innovation at the intelligent edge.” Michael Fortin, Corporate Vice President, Windows
Alex Kipman
Alex Kipman, Microsoft Technical Fellow Mixed Reality and Artificial Intelligence address the gathering at the launch event.
I am incredibly proud that Africa, the cradle of civilization, now has the opportunity to define the future of computing. I’m inspired by all the creativity and energy of the startups and entrepreneurs here in Lagos, Nigeria. Microsoft will be engaging deeply with developers and universities amongst others. – Alex Kipman
Meet the founding Microsoft ADC cognition team in Lagos Nigeria.
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Firstly are you a team player? Do you have a growth mindset? Are you resourceful and customer focused? Have a demonstrated desire and ability to readily take on complex challenges and work towards solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems? Do you have passion for technology and how technology can inspire and ignite change and renewal? Finally are you Within 12 months of graduation or graduated within the last 12 months?
If you tick yes in all the categories above then Microsoft invites you to apply for a full-time opportunity. Microsoft believes “when smart people with a passion for technology get together they create things that change the world.”
Here are details on qualifications and responsibilities on Full-time Opportunity
Qualifications Applications to this opportunity are considered depending on education level and/or location. To be considered as student/recent graduate, you should be:
Within 12 months of graduation or graduated within the last 12 months.
Up to 2 years of accumulated full-time professional experience.
Passion for the technology and innovation.
Excellent verbal and written communication, analytical and presentation skills.
English language fluency.
Responsibilities We are looking for candidates that have the following qualities:
Team Player: driving digital transformation with our customers is a team sport. We need teammates who can stay maniacally focused on our customers’ satisfaction while operating in a highly-collaborative, matrixed global organization.
Growth Mindset: your life is truly about learning-it-all. You approach every new piece of information, knowledge, and competency with insatiable curiosity. Ultimately, you’re open to the ideas of others, where the success of others does not diminish your own.
Resourceful: you have the drive to overcome any obstacle in your work.
Customer Focused: you learn about your customers and their businesses with a beginner’s mind and then bring solutions that meet their needs.
Pure Challenge: demonstrated desire and ability to readily take on complex challenges and work towards solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.
Passion for Technology: you’re deeply motivated by the incredible opportunity of how technology can inspire and ignite change and renewal.
Microsoft Full-time Opportunity, click to apply below
Microsoft CVP Michael Fortin & Phil Spencer in Nairobi at the Launch event.
Africa Development Centre Launch
Today at a media event in Nairobi, Microsoft executives introduced a special development in Kenya. But more importantly for the African continent as a whole. Microsoft launched its first Development Centre in Africa; the Africa Development Centre.
It will have two initial team sites located in Nairobi, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria. The Africa Development Centre(ADC) sites become the seventh and eighth Microsoft development centres sites globally. Microsoft’s other development centres sites are located in China, India, Israel, Vancouver, Boston and Silicon Valley in San Francisco.
Our new Microsoft Africa Development Center will be at the forefront of building innovative solutions that benefit Africa − and the entire world. – Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO
ADC launch event
Microsoft ADC
Microsoft says the;
“ADC will serve as a premier centre of engineering for Microsoft. Where world class African talent can create solutions for local and global impact“.
Microsoft’s Executive Vice President Gaming, Phil Spencer will be the executive sponsor of the Africa Development Center. Speaking at the launch event he said “We are listening more than we are speaking. We want your input and feedback on what we need to do in order to help the market here succeed. We are committed for the long term, to be in partnership with you in helping us grow. Incredible market with amazing talent the universities are putting out“.
He shares this about the project;
“The ADC will be unlike any other existing investment on the continent. It will help us better listen to our customers, develop locally and scale for global impact. Beyond that, it’s an opportunity to engage further with partners, academia, governments and developers – driving impact in sectors important to the continent, such as FinTech, AgriTech and OffGrid energy.” – Phil Spencer
ADC Investment
The ADC will have two teams, the Microsoft Cognition team and the Microsoft Windows Team. With the Congnition team based in Lagos, Nigeria and the Windows team in Nairobi, kenya.
Microsoft is marking a new milestone with this investment in Africa. A $100 million combined expected investment of infrastructure and employment of local qualified engineers. Microsoft will recruit world class African Software Engineers to the sites. Learn how to be part of the Africa Development Center. The development centre website is still under construction and yet to publish new roles.
On what the teams will be doing, Microsoft shares these details.
“Our Microsoft Cognition team and Windows’ team will be kickstarting our ADC efforts, focusing on AI-enabled cloud services, mixed reality experiences and rich applications that power the intelligent edge without disruption.”
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