@africatechie It is only sad because we are lazy and can't see it as a huge opportunity. It is why I can never forgive the current president of Nigeria for his appointments in tech, science & tech and education. This is a unique time in history. We can't stop the exodus - we can milk it!
@africatechie The world is desperate for tech talent - we have a pool of driven young people. We should educate them en-masse. Aim to train much more than the foreign market can absorb and create a bridge between those leaving and local market. The effect in less than 5 years will be HUGE.
@africatechie ...and NO - i am not talking about more @Andela (s). We need a concerted effort that will leverage existing academic infrastructure. Revamp CS curriculum with a strong creative spin. Set up a separate board to invest in CS education (for start) with a mandate to demonstrate ROI.
@africatechie @Andela This can easily be a strong case for how you innovate in education to meet current and future market needs. I am not naive about what it will take to make this happen but it is a worthy endeavour if we are truly committed to lifting our nations.
@africatechie @Andela At the minimum, select 5 key Universities as a model. Help them innovate around their CS programmes - provide additional capacity to deliver out of school programmes (Diplomas) - deepen their research interest and watch the evolution.
@africatechie @Andela We are only interested in what seems like the "low hanging fruit" - #Startups and the $ they attract. We forget we can't compete in a knowledge economy without actually breeding talent. Its also not new - Indian at some point was the MAJOR source of tech talent. Now they do more!
@africatechie @Andela Yes, I accept I should be part of the solution. However, we'll keep pulling the effort of the private sector down if we keep appointment misfits to important offices. To the contrary, #tech in Nigeria albeit in infancy gained recognition and acceptance in the last 8 years. BUT...
@africatechie @Andela The govts within this period managed to only ride the wave and hype - did nothing sensible to deepen nor take advantage of the growth for the economy at large. Nigeria/Africa can be great - if those dragging us down can get out of the way!
