Since 2018, we have concentrated our energy on mass enlightenment about the impact technology could make on our society. We hosted the annual Kwarabuild Tech Conference which has been supported by VMware and notably, other brands. This year’s conference edition featured virtual keynote and panel sessions around the theme, ”Africa’s Next Builders”. We had discourse sessions on how Africans can position themselves as players and actors in the revolution that seems to be dawning on the continent soon. Certainly, we can not be consumers forever. We need to start acting and building.

We liaise with college student groups and other youth groups in the state to spread our reach and impact. Also, we engage secondary school students via our Kwarabuild Education Campaign. In the past 24 months, we’ve taught over 4500 students basic concepts of computer literacy, internet safety, and Virtual Reality. We believe that the closer we get our work to the root of Nigerian education, the easier it will be to cause an overall change in society as the phrase ‘catch them while they are young suggests’.

Also, through our special arm, Kwabuild Women-in-Tech, we thoughtfully take action to ensure women’s inclusion in tech education. We do regular chat sessions and skill-building in programming, branding, and design even online during the lockdown. Alongside the aforementioned, we understand that securing an excellent talent base is the bedrock of a tech ecosystem development as portrayed in Europe, Silicon Valley, and India. Looking at Lagos, Nigeria, one would appreciate the efforts by tech communities and companies between 2012 and 2016 at raising world-class talents, individuals skilled enough to compete and win on a global level without prejudice.

Going forward, our community is at the stage of helping our members and a great number of youths in Kwara (students and non-students alike) to gain relevant skills that make them employable. This provides a good foundation for raising startups in the coming years. We currently work with VMware through the VirtualizeAfrica program to develop and select youths in cloud computing and virtualization.