Johannesburg, South Africa, November 14, 2024: GitHub and Microsoft today announced the new GenAI for Youth initiative, in collaboration with Goodwall and Yoma. GitHub, the most widely adopted Copilot-powered developer platform, will play a key role in scaling the program, with a focus on next-generation developers and future creators in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and beyond. 

GenAI for Youth is about making AI both accessible and transformative, opening doors for young people to understand and use AI as a tool for creation, problem-solving, and innovation. With GitHub’s focus on developer engagement, this initiative brings developer-centric, nano-learning experiences to young people, enabling them to explore AI and apply it in ways that are practical and empowering. This is coupled with Microsoft’s AI skilling commitments for organizational leaders, users, and developers across global markets. As the founding partners of this initiative, Microsoft and Goodwall, have built interactive gamified challenges, to meet young people where they are on their journey to demystify AI and access educational and employment opportunities. 

“GitHub has a guiding aspiration to enable one billion developers through the advancement of AI. The road to one billion developers runs right through Africa,” said GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke. “Together, with Microsoft Goodwall and Yoma—we’ll use the power of AI to enable the next generation of developers in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and beyond.” 

"The launch of our GenAI for Youth program is all about making sure the next generation has the AI skills they need, especially those who might not have easy access to these opportunities," said Kate Behncken, Global Head of Microsoft Philanthropies. "By teaming up with GitHub, Goodwall, and Yoma, we're bringing this program to life, teaching young people—no matter where they are—important digital and AI skills. This will help open up more local job opportunities and career paths that involve AI."

Highlights of GitHub’s role in GenAI for Youth include: 

• Developer-focused challenges: AI challenges tailored to engage young people as creators and problem-solvers. 

• Hands-on programming experiences: Real-world applications that allow youth to transition from learning to building, using AI in ways that prepare them for future tech careers. 

• Developer-friendly learning materials: Access to resources that simplify complex AI concepts and make them actionable, sparking curiosity and skill-building.  

• Community-driven partnerships: Local partnerships that ensure the program meets the specific needs and aspirations of young developers in each region. 

GitHub and Microsoft are dedicated to expanding this initiative to empower youth with skills for innovation and leadership in the Age of AI. This partnership aims to bridge the skills gap, drive a community of peer-to-peer learners, and enhance representation in the field of AI, fostering a new generation of developers across Africa. This complements GitHub’s Social Impact Skilling initiative, All In Africa, which is dedicated to making open source education accessible to everyone across the continent through free open source education, comprehensive training, mentorship, community engagement, and career-focused experiential opportunities.   

Africa’s growing developer community set to drive the next wave of digital progress  

This program will help fuel Africa's already rapidly growing developer community. Insights from GitHub's 2024 Octoverse report reveal that over 1.1 million developers are building on GitHub in Nigeria (a 28% year-over-year increase), over 660,000 in South Africa (a 23% increase), and more than 393,000 in Kenya (a 33% increase). 

This growth signals that the region is ready to drive the next wave of digital progress and tech entrepreneurialism. In South Africa, for example, developers have ushered in a boom in AI innovation, with contributions to generative AI projects on GitHub increasing by more than 44% over the past year.