A partnership between the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Chinese coding education platform Codemao is steadily expanding artificial intelligence (AI) and coding education in schools across Africa, equipping teachers and students with practical digital skills for the future.
Mary Nyasimi, national program specialist at the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, said AI and digital tools are already transforming teaching and learning on the continent. She stressed that accelerating AI education is essential to bridge the digital divide, strengthen human capital, and improve the global competitiveness of Kenya and the wider African region. Nyasimi made the remarks during a recent meeting in Nairobi.
The joint youth coding initiative, launched in 2021 by UNESCO and Codemao, aims to promote inclusive, safe, and equitable AI and coding education across Africa and Asia. The program focuses on three core pillars: delivering hands-on training, building cross-continental educational networks, and raising awareness of digital empowerment among young people and educators.
Between 2021 and 2022, more than 200 teachers from the Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Namibia, and Thailand completed UNESCO’s initial international coding training program. Women accounted for 45 percent of the participants. The initiative follows a train-the-trainer model, enabling newly trained educators to pass on coding and digital skills to thousands of their peers and students across the region.
One of the teachers who has directly benefited is Augustine Nzuki of Tala Township Primary School in Machakos County, eastern Kenya. Nzuki was among eight Kenyans four teachers and four students who traveled to Shenzhen, China, in July under the program. Although he had previously taught robotics in theory, the visit marked the first time he operated a real drone and interacted with a robot in person.
“I saw practically what robots and drones are, gaining hands-on knowledge of AI and coding,” Nzuki said. The experience has reshaped his approach to teaching. He now plans to visit 20 neighboring schools to share what he learned and mentor other educators, helping to spread practical AI and coding knowledge more widely.
In Kenya, the program has already integrated 20 schools across Kiambu, Nairobi, Kajiado, and Machakos counties since 2025. To date, it has trained more than 1,200 Kenyan students and established dedicated school coding clubs designed to support continuous peer-to-peer learning. These clubs provide students with ongoing opportunities to practice coding, experiment with AI concepts, and collaborate with one another outside formal classroom hours.
The initiative reflects a broader recognition that digital literacy and AI skills are becoming foundational for future employment and innovation. By combining UNESCO’s educational expertise with Codemao’s practical coding platform and curriculum, the partnership seeks to make advanced digital education accessible in environments where such resources have traditionally been limited.
Officials involved in the program note that the train-the-trainer approach is particularly effective in resource-constrained settings. Once teachers gain confidence and practical experience, they can cascade knowledge within their own schools and communities, multiplying the program’s reach without requiring constant external intervention. The inclusion of students in the China study tour further strengthens this multiplier effect, as young participants return motivated to share their experiences with classmates.
Looking ahead, the partnership is expected to continue expanding its footprint across more African countries while deepening its work in existing partner nations. Emphasis remains on inclusive participation, especially the strong representation of women teachers in early training cohorts, and on ensuring that AI and coding education remains safe, ethical, and relevant to local contexts.
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The progress reported in Kenya offers a concrete example of how international collaboration can accelerate digital skills development. From classroom theory to hands-on experience with drones and robots, and from individual teacher training to the creation of school coding clubs, the UNESCO-Codemao initiative is helping to prepare a new generation of African students for an increasingly technology-driven world.
As AI continues to reshape economies and workplaces globally, programs that equip both teachers and students with practical digital competencies are becoming essential. The Nairobi discussions and the expanding network of trained educators and coding clubs across Kenya and other African countries signal steady momentum toward that goal.
