Artificial Intelligence continues to make remarkable progress. In line with this, the Nigerian Federal Government announced its partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a UK-based computer education charity, through the Ministry of Innovation and Digital Economy to launch Cod Clubs courses across Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Artificial Intelligence Initiative
This collaboration has resulted in the creation of an educational course for students aged 7 to 17, called Cod Clubs. Cod Clubs aims to promote digital literacy and encourage the younger generation in Nigeria to explore the field of artificial intelligence (AI) through a series of extracurricular AI programming clubs.
The program was announced by the ministry on November 8th. It aims to introduce coding and the world of blockchain to the participants of the Cod Clubs, and encourage them to use creative problem-solving methods in their daily lives. The process will initially begin in 17 knowledge exchange centers and will later expand to other regions after covering the six regions of Nigeria.
Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, emphasized the importance of creating an information hotline in Nigeria through free coding clubs in partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The initiative aims to accelerate Nigeria’s crypto economy by enhancing technical knowledge and skills.
Notable Details of the Project
As part of the partnership, the Raspberry Pi Foundation will provide comprehensive toolkits and assistance to educators and young participants. Additionally, the ministry will oversee the emergence and operation of the Cod Clubs nationwide through a partnership framework.
The ministry stated that the training paths offered to Code Club partners will cover various coding and operational topics, such as Robotics and Electronics, Game Development, Algorithms and Problem Solving, Introduction to Coding, Basic Concepts, Web Development, Programming Languages, and Project-Based Learning.
In October, the Nigerian government announced a program that provided a grant of 5 million naira worth of 6.4 million dollars to 45 startups and researchers focused on artificial intelligence. This initiative, which aims to promote the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence for economic progress in the country, is part of the newly established Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Program.
