Addis Ababa, Ethiopia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 10, 2023) - Africa to Silicon Valley (A2SV Foundation) has announced that the organization has received funding from Google as part of its initiatives to support diverse African tech talent. A2SV upskills high-potential university students in Africa and connects them with software engineering opportunities at top companies. The program empowers students to work on real-world problems and make meaningful impacts in their communities, thus also bridging the access gap between Africa and the tech world.
According to a Korn Ferry report, it is estimated that by 2030, there will be a global shortage of over 85 million tech workers. Another report from the IFC projects that 60% of the population in Africa will be under 24 by 2025 and Africa's internet economy has the potential to grow to $180 billion by 2025. Africa could play a key role in solving the global shortage of tech talent, provided tech students there get the right support, training and job opportunities.
A2SV has a rigorous training program that primes candidates for success in interviews with leading tech companies. This training covers different aspects like algorithms and data structures, soft skills, and experience with real life projects. A2SV partnered with Addis Ababa University to train the first 22-person cohort of students in 2020, and the second 33-person cohort in 2021. After two years, A2SV extended the partnership to Addis Ababa Science and Technology University. Currently, A2SV is training the third 109-person cohort in the two universities, within three groups.
The organization's model has proved to be rewarding. A high percentage of students from the first two cohorts passed internship or full time employment interviews, and received offers from multinational tech companies, including Google. Approximately 89% of these students come from households earning less than $102 per month. Through a Google internship, for example, they get a chance to earn $6000-9000 per month for three months.
Google is known for partnering with industry, governments, universities, and employers to help address the shortage of tech talent while supporting underserved communities. In 2017, Google committed to train 10 million Africans in digital skills. So far, Google has certified more than 80,000 developers from Africa and is planning to scale this up by partnering with organizations like A2SV Foundation.
Jeff Dean, Senior Vice President of Google Research, added, "A2SV's program works with students for a year and gives them additional depth and education in software engineering, algorithms, and working in software teams to build end-to-end products. The students I've met from A2SV are really great, and Google has hired quite a few graduates of the program."
Vice President of Research at Google, Yossi Matias, who oversees the AI Research Lab in Accra, added, "As we expand our Research presence in Africa, nurturing top talent is a priority for us. Local researchers are the ones with the best understanding of societal challenges and opportunities on the continent, and we've already seen groundbreaking AI solutions coming from our AI center in Africa and scaled globally."
Google's funding to A2SV will allow A2SV to establish a permanent office in Ethiopia and hire more heads of education and a product manager. The goal is to expand A2SV's presence to Ghana and upskill 330 more students in Ethiopia and Ghana over the next two years, building a pool of highly trained, industry-ready candidates who have experience with real-life projects.
Commenting on the funding from Google, Emre Varol, Founder & Head of Execution, at A2SV said, "Aspiring software developers in Africa lack access to experienced mentors and job opportunities. Academic education fails to equip them with the skills they need in real-world contexts. We address this gap through our rigorous training program comprising daily classes, bootcamps and real life projects. We have already received the first tranche of the funding. We will use this to expand our program, recruit more program heads, and provide equipment to our students. Tech companies such as Google benefit long-term from the growing and diverse pool of highly talented and skilled candidates, at the same time as supporting the development of the African economy."
About A2SV Foundation
A2SV, started operations in Ethiopia in 2019, identifies and helps promising engineers to upskill and gain access to mentoring and job opportunities at leading global technological companies. The program is free for students, thus empowering youth who have talent but lack the means to use it.
Media contact:
Name: Emre Varol
Email address: emre@a2sv.org
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/150848
