By Dipo Olowookere
Come Friday, November 11, 2016, Governor Akinwunmi Anbode will launch the ‘Code Lagos’ programme of the state government.
The initiative is part of efforts to make Lagos State the technology frontier in Africa and in line with the Smart City agenda of the current administration.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, at a press briefing in his office on Monday, said the ‘Code Lagos’ initiative is aimed at making coding curriculum accessible to every student in Lagos State.
“Our goal for ‘Code Lagos’ programme is to teach one million students in Lagos State the basic knowledge involved in computer coding system by 2019. This programme will be available to our students from primary to tertiary education level,” he said.
According to him, the programme will be unveiled at a private gathering of Corporate Nigeria, with guests comprising leaders in both public and private sectors, including financial and educational institutions, telecom companies and other multi-national organizations.
Mr Bank-Olemoh noted that as a build-up to the unveiling, Lagos State had engaged critical stakeholders in the information technology space through series of meetings and workshops to develop a robust model for the implementation of the programme.
“We have clear objectives and we have thought through the model. Industry experts have critiqued it and pointed out gaps we may have overlooked. Now we are ready to roll-out our plans,” he said.
The Special Adviser therefore called on the public, particularly corporate organizations to collaborate with the government in positioning Lagos State as the technology frontier in Africa.
Modupe Gbadeyanka