Launched in 2021, the I&P Education to Employment program, a partnership between Investisseurs & Partenaires and the Mastercard Foundation, aims to strengthen the resilience of 30 educational entrepreneurs across Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Senegal. In Ghana, two technology companies, Codetrain and OpenLabs, have been onboarded to expand access to quality digital training for young Ghanaian women and men.
Codetrain, a new vision for the African tech industry
Founded in 2017 by Richard Brandt, a mathematics graduate and ex-data analyst, Codetrain, was conceived after several unsuccessful attempts to source and hire interns with sufficient hands-on experience in the digital industry. Today, the company is one of the leading coding bootcamps focused on practical teaching and interactive learning. Codetrain offers mobile application and full-stack development courses and provides aspiring software developers with advanced booming Ghanaian technology industry. Since its inception, approximately 500 students have been trained and transitioned into fulfilling jobs within Ghana’s dynamic digital ecosystem. Sharing his experience, the young founder said, “This program will enable us to scale and fulfill our mission to provide young Ghanaians with the tools they need to join and transform the global digital revolution ecosystem while impacting their communities in the process. This is a unique growth opportunity, and we look forward to enabling young people in Ghana and across the continent to gain industry relevant skills.”
OpenLabs, building a close relationship with the workforce
OpenLabs is a higher education institution offering online and in-person courses in the fields of IT. Founded in 1999, with the mission to address youth unemployment through the acquisition of digital skills, OpenLabs has forged strong strategic partnerships with renowned technology companies such as IBM, Google for Education, and Huawei. OpenLabs offers its students quality training aligned with the needs of the 21st century workplace. With more than 100,000 students trained, OpenLabs is fully engaged in the transformation of Africa’s.
A complete support adapted to the African educational sector
The financial support and technical assistance provided by the I&P Education to Employment program, will enable Codetrain to expand the accessibility of its programs across the 16 regions of Ghana and increase the employability rate of students and graduates. OpenLabs will be able to reinforce its position as a reference institution by accelerating its digitization, notably through the acquisition of IT equipment and the introduction of policies and practices to protect learners on campus. A scholarship scheme will be developed to improve access to quality training for young people, women, and vulnerable populations.
Koumba Anouma, Director of I&P Education to Employment Access Facility added, “The COVID-19 crisis accelerated the need for digital skills, but African youth still lack access to relevant digital training and suitable employment opportunities. These young people are willing to shape their future. Accessing facility programs such as this provides innovative responses to an education sector that investors perceived to be a new area with limited capacity, but this is a core pillar for the development of the continent.”
Ghana Country Head at the Mastercard Foundation, Rosy Fynn said, “EdTech companies have the potential to significantly increase both access and quality of education across the continent while enabling young people to acquire the skills required for the world of work. By supporting these companies, we enable them to directly empower and create pathways to dignified work opportunities for young Ghanaian women and men.”