NIGERIA – 9jacodekids, TEM education institute providing coding and robotics programs for kids aged 4 to 16 years old, has raised a seed fund of US$350,000, set for branch expansion.
The seed funding was backed by an angel investor and board member of Endeavour Nigeria, Bolaji Balogun as part of the Ultima Lions’ Den Season 2 reality TV show.
The firm will use the funds to boost its capacity and ensure more children have access to coding skills in Nigeria.
“We have many parents and clients out there that have desired for us to come to their cities but due to lack of funds, we have not been able to meet their demands,” said Ugochukwu Nkwocha, CEO of 9jacodekids.
Founded in 2016, 9jacodekids Academy aims at creating the next generation of technopreneurs by teaching kids aged 4–16 STEM skills such as coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
The startup also offers entrepreneurial skills such as Design Thinking, Market Research, and Prototyping.
Nkwocha borrowed from the United States and the United Kingdom way of teaching coding to students as young as five years old to develop the firm.
The startup instructs children everything about Coding, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and 21st-century Tech Skills in general that have relevance to their future.
The firm objective is to complement Nigeria’s education system which is yet to incorporate coding and computer science into the school curriculum.
While the schools in Nigeria only teach elementary computer (Computer Appreciation), the firm teaches the fundamentals of computer science that will equip kids to create their own technology rather than being just consumers.
Nigerian parents want their children to build games, mobile apps, robots, and websites in Nigeria saving them the expense of sending the children abroad.
According to Nkwocha giving children tech skills in the 21st century is not a luxury or just a pleasant thing to do, t’s critical and essential to their success in a world dominated by computers, software, AI (artificial intelligence), and robots.
With the increased adoption of technology in almost all sectors in the country, coding skills at an early age not only benefit the children but also the country in long term.
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