Tshwane, 17 June 2016 – Soon, the youth of Soweto will be able to be learn how to code courtesy of the CodeTribe Academy – a programme established by The Innovation Hub and mLab Southern Africa. The programme will be available at eKasi Lab Soweto located at the Soweto Empowerment Zone in Diepkloof, Soweto.

The CodeTribe Academy is a full bursary programme that trains youth on how to develop for Android, backend and cloud using SCRUM Agile methodologies as well as native software development kits. CodeTribe Academy was first launched in Tshwane at The Innovation Hub in partnership with mLab Southern Africa

“A promise made is a promise kept, is a commitment that our Premier David Makhura has made to the people of Gauteng. During his State of the Province Address in February, the Premier committed to the establishment of a CodeTribe in the township as there is a great demand for computer programming skills in today’s competitive global economy. We are excited about our expansion of the eKasi Labs Soweto, which will now host a CodeTribe Academy. We are committed to the Township Economy Revitalisation through technology and empowering the youth in software and mobile apps coding.” McLean Sibanda, CEO of The Innovation Hub

“This is such an exciting partnership for us. Over the last 2 years, mLab and The Innovation Hub team have been working hard on building a programme that empowers youth with market appropriate mobile development skills. This commitment by The Innovation Hub and the Gauteng Province now brings more opportunities for youth in some of the provinces’ most vibrant and youthful communities. This programme opens the door for them to join the tribe and participate in the coding economy.” Rulani Nevhufumba, mLab Facilitator and CodeTribe Coach, mLab Southern Africa

Read the experiences from a 2015 CodeTribe Graduate