By 
By Chinedu James
CodeLagos, an initiative of the Lagos State Ministry of Education charged with the responsibility of teaching one million Lagos residents basic coding skills has announced that about 15,000 Lagosians has been trained on coding.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh while giving a progress report on the programme in a statement this week revealed that the over15, 000 individuals have been trained so far and that all is set for the initiative to roll out across 5,000 primary and secondary schools, as well as 50 Out-of-School centres by December 2018.
Bank-Olemoh also disclosed that the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has approved the implementation of the next phase of the initiative which is focused on expanding the reach and scope of the project to cater for more Lagos residents through its “In–School” and “Out-of-School” pathways.
The Special Adviser said that the initiative in partnership with Oracle Academy will introduce students to Oracle’s Alice and Greenfoot programming languages with coding classes to commence on Monday April 9, 2018 in Out-of-School Centres, which will cater for Lagos residents who are above 16 years and are not currently in any primary or secondary school in Lagos.
“We will continue to train students in Scratch, Python and Mobile App development, depending on their level.  This term we will also be introducing Oracle’s Alice and Greenfoot programming languages, through a partnership with Oracle Academy.
“Coding classes will commence on April 9th in four centres – Herbert Macaulay Library, Yaba; Isolo Public Library, Isolo; Ilupeju Public Library, Ilupeju; and Onikan Youth Centre, Onikan. Additional centres including other Lagos State public libraries, community centres and private training centres are scheduled to roll out in a few weeks,” the Special Adviser said.
“Our success in Lagos State will create a ripple effect across Nigeria, and if we can change Nigeria, we can change Africa. If we can change Africa, we can undoubtedly change the world,” Mr. Bank-Olemoh said. The progress of the CodeLagosprogramme can be tracked on www.codelagos.org with classes totally free. The CodeLagos, an initiative of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, targets making coding accessible to every student in Lagos State.
