LOMÉ, Togo – Children aged 8 are building robots, learning a computer programming language, and experimenting with artificial intelligence at the Lomé Digital School Summer Camp. This summer camp will run for two months to address the digital skills shortage in Togo, promote gender equality in the technology sector, and ensure the country achieves its dream of becoming the region’s technology hub.
The younger children build mechanical projects under the supervision of the tutors, while teenagers aged 13 to 17 develop software applications.
“The primary objective of this Summer Camp is to ensure that young people create technology, rather than consume technology,” said Got’liebe Bataba, Director of Lomé Digital School. “Due to artificial intelligence, almost all careers will undergo a revolution in the coming years. So that… they can adapt to the changing environment.”
Child Heuira Adzra, at age eight, is making a bubble machine for his brother. Meanwhile, Pierre-Henri Adou, aged fourteen, is developing an artificial-intelligence-driven chatbot. The scholarship program will also be incorporated into the project to cater for children from low-income families.
Parents of children have expressed their appreciation of the need for early digital training. Parent Rodrigue Yao Ayeh stated: “Digital devices are vital in everybody’s life… our children must get trained on them from an early age.”
There is an issue that goes beyond Africa in this regard. Although it is estimated that Africa’s youth will account for 42 per cent of the world’s youth by 2030, current statistics show that only 9 per cent of African people aged 15 to 24 are computer literate.
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