The African tech ecosystem has exponentially grown in recent years, with future growth projected to accelerate in the coming decade. With more tech-enabled innovations being developed across the continent, there is rising demand for experienced engineers and Nigeria’s Bluechip Technologies wants to help close this gap.
Bluechip Technologies is Nigeria’s leading provider of business application and data management solutions. The firm has launched Primo Academy, a six-month program designed to equip aspiring data professionals with the required skills to kickstart their careers in the data and emerging technologies industry.
Targeted at both beginners and experienced professionals, with or without a technological background and living in Africa, the free, fully remote program starts on August 1, 2022, and will run on a full-time basis. Applications are now open to be part of the first cohort.
Founded in Nigeria in 2008 by Kazeem Tewogbade and Olumide Soyombo, Bluechip Technologies is a business application company focused exclusively on assisting companies in planning, designing, implementing, and operating business application solutions and strategies that are central to creating and maintaining a competitive business advantage.
The company has expanded to Ghana, Zambia, DRC, and Kenya, and specializes in data warehouse, analytics, and enterprise systems for banks and telcos. Bluechip Technologies has worked with enterprise and infrastructure conglomerates including the likes of MTN, 9mobile, FirstBank, Access Bank, and Lafarge.
What You’ll Learn
Aspiring data professionals on the Primo Academy course will undergo training on the applications of data science and analysis as well as soft skills and business processes to ensure workplace readiness upon completion of the program. Successful applicants will be enrolled in an immersive 6-month training program with a curriculum that covers modules such as:
- Orientation and productivity
- Introduction to data analysis with Excel, SQL, and Python
- Data engineering with big data technologies
- Data science and machine learning
- Data visualization with PowerBI and automation with power platforms plus more
Participants can live anywhere in Africa, as classes will be remote, must be available full time for the 6 months duration of the program, and must have their own laptop or PC with access to the Internet.
Primo Academy is offering the first cohort free data to enable full access and completion of the course. Graduates will be offered opportunities to work with the engineering team at Bluechip, as well as support with securing opportunities with partner companies across Africa and internationally.
Speaking on the launch and call for applications, co-founder and CEO of Bluechip Technologies, Kazeem Tewogbade says, “Over the years, we have found it enormously beneficial upskilling newcomers to the tech industry through our own business intelligence training program, which takes graduates through a thorough process of upskilling in a broad range of areas relevant to our business. This is why we are excited to offer this proven approach through the launch of our own academy for data professionals. Primo Academy is an opportunity for us to continue our mission to plug the gaps in data professionals in Africa, as well as ensuring we continue to build our own talent pipeline, which is essential to our continued growth.”
Azeez Busari, Primo Academy lead, added, “Having joined Bluechip as a graduate intern about a decade ago, I know firsthand how essential a training program such as this is in preparing data professionals to thrive in their careers. The curriculum for Primo Academy has been created to take anyone with a passion for learning, natural curiosity, and tenacity to solve problems from novice to mastery. Our goal is to ensure that all participants will be primed and ready to nimbly navigate the world of data, confidently with the toolkit of skills and knowledge they will pick up over the six months.”
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Bluechip is championing the prominence of African engineers in the global tech ecosystem and is on a mission to help develop thousands of talented data professionals for lifelong careers in tech. With the launch of Primo Academy, the team hopes to help solve the tech talent shortage in Africa, especially in the data space.
Interested applicants can find out more information and apply for the program via Primo Academy’s website. Applications close on July 22, 2022, at 5 pm WAT, and successful applicants will be notified on July 27, 2022.
About Bluechip Technologies
BlueChip Technologies is a leading business application firm focused exclusively on assisting organizations in planning, designing, implementing, and operating business application solutions and strategies that are central to creating and maintaining a competitive business advantage. Bluechip Technologies Limited was founded in 2008 in Nigeria and is now also in Ghana, Zambia, DRC, and Kenya.
About Primo Academy
Primo Academy is a subsidiary of Bluechip Technologies created to help solve the tech talent shortage in Africa. The academy is a 6-month diploma program where aspiring data professionals are taught by industry experts how to apply analytical techniques through the implementation of real-life projects. The first cohort is free.
