For the third consecutive year, Africa Code Week’s AfriCAN Code Challenge (ACC) continues to grow in popularity and reach. The winner of this year’s ACC 2022 edition was handed to the Ravinalo Project developed by Henintsoa, Warren and Shekinah from Madagascar.

“From start to finish, this has been one of the most exciting editions of ACC. The youth of Africa have yet again proven their talents and strong 21st century skillset with creative and conceptual games delivered,” says Olajide Ademola Ajayi, SAP ACW Global Coordinator.

AfriCAN Youth rise for the coding challenge

The AfriCAN Code Challenge is a coding contest that spans across Africa, inviting all-young individuals from different walks of life from 8 - 16 year to develop a game using the Scratch programming language.

This year’s competition saw thousands of entries from more than 30 countries spanning as far as South Africa and Ethiopia. In September 2020, SAP Africa Code Week launched the challenge with support from partners such as UNESCO, Irish Aid, and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA).

Over the years, the competition has evolved into an annual event that celebrates the creativity and technological skills of African youth. For the 2022 challenge, youths were called upon to develop a multiplayer game that proposes a sustainable solution for protecting life. Thereafter, they were asked to create and share a 3-minute YouTube video that details how their game works, the coding techniques used, and how it aligns with the theme and evaluation standards.

The winners of the AfriCAN Code Challenge were selected by a distinguished panel consisting of Africa Code Week delegates, SAP employees, and STEM education specialists.

This year’s Top 3 winners:

First place: Madagascar - Ravinalo by Henintsoa, Warren, and Shekinah
Second place: Mauritius - Mission Reboot by Nikhil, Mithil, Seeya, Grace, and Kesha
Third place: Nigeria - Chase 'N' Recycle by Team Techlite

Followed by:

4. Sao Tome & Principe - Saving the World
5. Morocco - Golden Planet
6. Ethiopia - Mission Re
7. Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's Heros
8. South Africa - Eco World
9. Cameroon - Reboisons Notre Terre
10. Gabon - Ntoutoume Evan

Beyond AfriCAN Code Challenge

Research shows that the digital participation could assist in driving the economic growth and development of Africa. This suggests that increased investment in digital infrastructure and skills could have a significant impact on the continent's economic development.

Claire Gillissen-Duval, Senior director of EMEA and MEE Corporate Social Responsibility and Co-founder of Africa Code Week at SAP says, “ACW is currently in a transition period where we will be transferring the ACW curriculum to the ministries of Education to assist in the integration of coding into school curricula. Once they introduce coding into schools, we look forward to seeing sustainable growth in the number of participants in the AfriCAN Code Challenge as ministries will have a wider reach and access to more young people.”

For more information about SAP Africa Code Week and the AfriCAN Code Challenge, or how you can get involved, visit www.africacodeweek.org or connect and follow on social media @AfricaCodeWeek.

The DreamOval Foundation in partnership with SAP, UNESCO YouthMobile, and Irish Aid, organized an inspiring award ceremony last week for Ghanaian students who have played an active part in this year’s Africa Code Week (ACW) AfriCAN Code Challenge competition.

The event was a joyful ceremony involving school authorities, Metropolitan assembly officials, chiefs, and parents from the winning school to showcase the hard work and efforts of local youth in line with the Government's agenda towards improving 21st century learning. Prizes included laptops, tablets, mobile handsets, and book vouchers and were handed to country winners from Nii Boye Town SDA Basic School, Martyrs of Uganda and Accra, and Sweet Code. 

Ghanean students rise above Covid challenges

Speaking about the awards ceremony, Francis Ahene-Affoh from DreamOval adds, “Despite the global pandemic and today’s disruptions to learning, Ghana received both innovative and creative competition entries. We selected the best three to represent our country for the continental challenge and look forward to seeing our local talent showcased with Africa’s top students.” 

The AfriCAN Code Challenge is an exciting pan-African competition that invites youth aged 8-16 years to program a Scratch game aligned to the 'Change the world with your Superpowers' theme. Participants are invited to compete individually or in teams of up to five people to test students’ ability to write basic code using the scratch language and to show their level of competence in a 2min video which is reviewed by a panel of judges. 

Speaking at the event, Chief of Nii Boye Town, Nii Ayi Mensah 1, acknowledged the students and their hard work and the importance of key influencers and local ambassadors in fostering digital education in the community. He also highlighted the importance of digital learning and education while referencing the students from SDA who were shining examples with their winning creations in the AfriCAN Code Challenge. 

Francis from DreamOval echoed Nii Ayi Mensah 1’s words at the event by celebrating the students’ tenacity and dedication, but also encouraged them to take digital learning and coding seriously as a ‘transformative journey’ that will change their lives and make them competitive in the global economy. 

Ghana helps conquer Africa’s digital divide  

During 2021 alone, more than 621 teachers have been trained in Ghana during Africa Code Week’s Train-the-Trainer (TTT) sessions during the month of August thanks to the implementing partner, DreamOval Foundation. 

Due to COVID-19 and to support health and safety regulations, the training was scheduled online and created an opportunity for teachers to register from all corners of the country. “Ghana has recorded impressive results over the years during the TTT sessions, and this year was no exception,” concludes Francis Ahene-Affoh. 

To find out more information about Ghana’s continued support in Africa Code Week or to get involved, contact the DreamOval Foundation or send an email to Francis.