Africa Code Week is the biggest digital literacy event of the continent. Its aim is to raise awareness of ICT for a critical mass of participants. UNESCO YouthMobile Initiative has established a long-term partnership with SAP to make the event a resounding success.

The 2018 Africa Code Week Event will be launched on October 5th, on the occasion of the World Teachers Day. The launching ceremony will be attended by the Minister of Communication and Postal Services of South Africa.

The long-term goal of Africa Code Week is to widen access to coding workshops and resources to more than 5 million children and youth by 2025. Its 2017 edition has been a resounding success, which involved 1.3 million youth in workshops and training. The female participation rate has been 43%, reflecting the efforts of ACW to empower girls with digital skills and to foster gender equality. Because of the alignment between Africa Code Week and UNESCO YouthMobile vision, SAP and UNESCO have built a strong partnership.

The ceremony’s date, on 5th October, is highly symbolical. The choice of launching the event on the World Teachers Day pays tribute to the importance of educators in sustaining high quality education for all, and highlights the role that ICT play towards the achievement of the 4th Sustainable Development Goal. The date also underscored the synergies between the Communication and Information Sector and the Education Sector.

Africa Code Week 2018 is divided in two main phases: the training of teachers, followed by the training of students. Several UNESCO Field Offices are fully involved for the 2018 edition, amongst which: Senegal, Cameroon, Angola, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Egypt, Congo DRC, Nigeria and Tanzania.