CodeLagos: LASG to spend N2.5 billion to build 500 Coding Centres

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

At least, the sum of N2.5 billion will be expended in building 500 coding centres across schools in Lagos State this year as part of the CodeLagos project, the Lagos State Government has disclosed.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh disclosed this on Thursday at the commencement of the 3-day training session for CodeLagos Master Trainers, in Lekki, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

Answering questions from newsmen on the project, Bank-Olemoh said the government in partnership with the private sectors would build 500 coding centres in public schools in the state this year and that each coding centre was valued at N5 million before the dollars went haywire.

The special adviser said each coding centres would be equipped with state of the art Information Technology facilities to meet the needs of the students, adding that over 100 students would make use of each centre at a time.

According to him, government would ensure the sustainability of the CodeLagos project by putting structures in place to ensure it outlived the current administration.

Bank-Olemoh also said the state government was set to train 1,000 facilitators as part of preparation towards the official launch of the CodeLagos programme this month.

“CodeLagos aims to equip one million Lagos residents with coding skills by the year 2019. This is in line with the vision of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, to position Lagos as the technology frontier in Africa,” he said.

Bank-Olemoh announced that the ongoing training of Master Trainers would equip 100 trainees with the knowledge and skills to teach after-school coding classes for the CodeLagos programme, saying that the trainees were selected following a rigorous screening exercise, which commenced in March 2017.

According to him, “these Master trainers will go on to train over 1,000 CodeLagos facilitators who will eventually be deployed to different coding centres across the State. In this way, CodeLagos will create employment and business opportunities for Lagosians in the technology sector.”

Executive Director of SystemSpecs Limited, Mr. ‘Deremi Atanda expressed the continued commitment of the organization to support the laudable initiative.

In his words, “the greatest asset of a State like Lagos is the growing youth population. The choice to empower them is the wisest decision the State has made, laying a good foundation for the emerging knowledge economy. We are convinced that CodeLagos would do just that.”

Commissioner for Science and Technology, Lagos State, Mr. Femi Odubiyi reiterated the commitment of the State Government to develop a technology-driven economy.

CodeLagos will officially launch this April, with a roll out of coding centers across 350 public and private schools as well as public libraries across the State.