NITHub Unilag and Moniepoint Inc. have announced the opening of applications for the second cohort of the HatchDev program aimed at nurturing the next generation of market-ready software engineers in Nigeria.

The nine-month specialized training program follows a strict recruitment policy and aspires to annually produce 300 junior software engineers, 100 intelligent systems developers, and 100 IoT/embedded systems engineers.

According to a statement from Moniepoint, the training would help to bridge the skilled tech talent gap in Nigeria and support the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy’s goal of creating two million digital jobs in the country.

It added that the trainees would be taken through Front-end, Back-end, Mobile App Development, UI/UX Design, Data Science, and Embedded Systems/IoT and upon completion of the course, are readily absorbed into a market eager for their expertise. The program, which began in October 2022, is said to have successfully trained and placed professionals in the industry.

The company added that the transformative learning experience provides six months of hands-on training where participants take a deep dive into the world of full-stack development from the fundamentals to advanced techniques, and they will gain a solid understanding of the tools and technologies that power the web.

Participants will also experience an immersive 3-month internship where their newfound skills can be deployed in a real-world setting, gain invaluable practical experience, collaborate with industry experts, and build a network that will open doors for their future careers.

Commenting on the initiative, VP Engineering, Moniepoint Inc, Chukwudum Ekwueme, said:“As a business, we have always envisioned a transformative approach to the use of technology in powering dreams and creating financial happiness in society.

“The HatchDev program is an excellent exemplar of this mandate and one that will allow participants to gain practical experience, upskilling, startup incubation, and product development, making them valuable assets to the tech industry upon completion.

“We are excited to be associated with an initiative that will support the government’s effort to build a robust digital economy for Nigeria.”

Also commenting, the NitHub Director and HatchDev project lead, Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa, said: “We sincerely appreciate Moniepoint for collaborating with us to bring the inaugural edition of HatchDev to life in 2022.

“We have seen firsthand the program’s transformative power to change lives and empower young people with a future that they can be proud of while developing the necessary skills for amazing career opportunities in the global job market.

“I’d encourage those interested to apply and seize this unparalleled opportunity to be a part of an initiative that will shape the future of technology in Nigeria.”

The application deadline is set for February 18, 2024, and intending participants are expected to have some knowledge of HTML, CSS and foundational JavaScript to enable them to make the most of this program.Interested persons can apply here.

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In a recent development, Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa, the Director of NitHub and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Lagos, highlighted a concerning trend in Nigeria’s innovation landscape.

Speaking at the FSI Innovation Showcase Contest, Dr. Odumuyiwa emphasized that a majority of the technological advancements in Nigeria are concentrated in the major cities of Lagos and Abuja.

While acknowledging the efforts of stakeholders in the ICT sector for organizing forums and innovation contests, Dr. Odumuyiwa expressed his concern that the positive impacts of these initiatives are disproportionately felt in urban areas.

He stressed the need for a more inclusive approach to encourage innovation among young Nigerians across the entire country.

Dr. Odumuyiwa underlined the importance of extending innovative programs beyond major cities, stating, “If we want to solve Nigeria’s problems, we have to keep encouraging the young ones to innovate.”

He pointed out that millions of young people in the hinterland, particularly in the North, lack access to education and opportunities for innovation.

Highlighting the University of Lagos’ initiatives, Dr. Odumuyiwa discussed the institution’s commitment to becoming an innovation hub.

He mentioned various platforms on campus designed to support innovation, including an innovation office managing intellectual property registration and fostering talent upskilling.

Dr. Odumuyiwa encouraged a shift in mindset among students, emphasizing the importance of creating solutions rather than merely seeking good grades and degrees.

He applauded the alignment of the university’s initiatives with the goals of FSI, which aims to support the development and growth of innovative products.

Additionally, Dr. Odumuyiwa urged the Nigerian government to create an environment conducive to the growth of local industries in digital technology.

He advocated for a departure from dependence on imported technologies, emphasizing the need to foster an ecosystem that promotes the development of homegrown digital solutions.

As Nigeria grapples with various challenges, Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa’s call for nationwide innovation serves as a rallying cry to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas, ensuring that the benefits of technological advancements reach all corners of the country.

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TECHDIGEST – The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, has urged universities in the country to emulate the University of Lagos (UNILAG) by adopting effective sustainability models in their IT Innovation hubs to derive the best values of digital technology as well as enhance productivity.

Inuwa made this call when he paid a working visit to NITDA’s IT Innovation Hub at UNILAG where he was received by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services) of the institution, Prof. Ayodele Atsenuwa and the Director of the Hub, Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa.

Asserting how much Information Technology has been playing an impactful role in the overall existence of humanity, Inuwa stated that the effective utilisation of IT hubs by universities in collaboration with relevant stakeholders around their environs cannot be overemphasized for optimal leverage on emerging technologies.

Commending UNILAG for making the hub open to everyone with innovative ideas, he maintained that solutions to some of the challenges pervading the country can be achieved with such gestures and collaboration.

“I am super excited when you said the hub is open to everyone. We need to help them take their ideas from inception to impact, build solutions out of it, build solutions that will change the society, that will impact the community and many more”, he noted.

Speaking further on leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics in building formidable seamless systems, Inuwa stated that “these systems can be used for social justice, criminal justice, and distribution of services in our society”.

READ ALSO: MSMEs Will Contribute $53b To Nigeria’s Economy If Digitised — NITDA Boss 

Expressing his delight at the optimal utilisation of the UNILAG IT Innovation Hub which has trained and incubated ideas of over 1,200 people, the NITDA boss enjoined other hubs to which the agency has donated to 5 other universities to scale up their activities and make the best use of the facility given to them.

He however stated that more IT Innovation Hubs are being built by the agency outside universities with the intent of accommodating more innovative minds in creating wealth for the country and an enhanced economic value.

Appreciating NITDA on behalf of the Vice Chancellor and the entire University, Prof. Ayodele Atsenuwa said that the donation of the building facility synced very well with the University’s aspiration of becoming a notable player in the nation’s emerging digital space.

She stated that the donation of the IT Innovation Hub to the university has completely demonstrated that there is a connection between the traditional curriculum and the innovation which the university is trying to steer.

“We have a lot more to do with 62000 students and servicing the community and NITDA is the only Hub in UNILAG which is open to anyone from anywhere”, she averred.

Giving a presentation of the hub’s programmes, activities and achievements earlier, Dr. Odumuyiwa disclosed that a large fraction of the over 1200 people trained in the facility has gone ahead to do commendable things in the country’s digital space.

Stating that the facility has attracted more than 20 million naira from voluntary sponsors, he revealed that “we are open to every willing tech enthusiast of every age category because we are on a mission to raise the critical human resource needed for Nigeria’s emerging technology”.

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