In Nigeria, Girls Get Coding With GE

GE Africa
GE recently welcomed 30 high school girls to its office in Lagos, Nigeria, for an event themed “She can CODE,” which was designed to give girls training in coding and computer programming.
22 June 2016
Content from a Premium Partner
GE Africa (Lagos)

GE recently welcomed 30 high school girls to its office in Lagos, Nigeria, for the fourth annual Girls in Technology Day, on 19 May. This event is designed to show women and girls the exciting career opportunities offered by the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

A recent STEM report predicted that by 2020, 80% of all future jobs will require a STEM education. Currently, only 10% of young women globally show an interest in STEM fields, and this number is even lower in Africa. While cultural norms, peer perceptions and traditional duties at home may push some young girls away from pursuing STEM careers, GE seeks to show girls that these fields are fun and welcoming for them.

The GE Girls in Technology event is a joint effort organised by the GE Women's Network and the Women's Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC), a non-governmental organisation. This year's event was also supported by GE's Africa Affinity Forum (AAF). Participating girls were aged between 13 and 17 and were from public schools in and around Lagos.

The event, themed "She can CODE," was designed to give girls training in coding and computer programming. They were educated on various topics, such as animation programming with Alice, app development using AppInventor2, and produced a digital video called "Girls' Day in GE and What GE Does."


Participants also learned more about GE's business units and the roles that technology and IT play in careers at the organisation. They also met senior GE leaders who shared their personal stories and career highlights for personal insight into STEM career paths.

A visiting VP and Global Chief Information Officer, Jim Fowler, attended the event and served as a judge for the coding competition. "It was thrilling to spend the afternoon in Lagos judging the coding competition between these brilliant young women," said Jim. "I was so impressed by their talent, enthusiasm and spirit."

The girls left the day's events feeling energised and empowered, and the event was a rousing success. GE will continue this annual engagement, and to continue encouraging girls and sparking curiosity in STEM fields.

This article first appeared on GE Reports sub-Saharan Africa

Tagged:
Copyright © 2016 GE Africa. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.