By Gabriel Olawale

Lagos-based EdTech startup Novotern recently celebrated its 1st anniversary of empowering individuals to achieve their career goals through tech education. In just one year, Novotern has made remarkable progress toward its mission of bringing tech equality to households across Africa and beyond.

Over 1,400 students from several African countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Liberia, and South Africa, as well as nations further abroad like Canada, UK and US, have benefited from Novotern’s range of courses since its inception. 

According to the Business Operations Manager of Novotern, Esther Adejuyigbe, 51 percent of these students are women, despite the tech industry’s gender imbalance. This highlights Novotern’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“91 percent of students began with no prior tech background, proving Novotern’s ability to make quality tech education accessible. Behind Novotern’s success is a team of skilled tutors from top global corporations, bringing substantial industry experience to facilitate hands-on, real-world learning. 

“By guiding students through immersive projects mirroring workplace situations, Novotern delivers training that enables personalized, experiential learning – regardless of location. This makes students globally competitive, evidenced by their high employment rate abroad.”

In its first year, Novotern held over 50 insightful masterclasses in high-demand domains like data science, agile product management, and software engineering. The company grew its community to 1,450 members, fostering a dedicated space for members to connect, share knowledge, and encourage growth.

Novotern also held a 5-day summer coding camp for kids and teens, with interactive activities teaching coding fundamentals. Student Princess Mebude said: “Your patience and willingness to explain complex concepts made it easy for me to learn. Your mentorship has made a significant difference in my career.”

As Novotern enters its second year, its first anniversary celebrates how quality education can empower change. While tech equality is still a work in progress, Novotern’s personalized, hands-on learning is building more diverse and capable workforces.

In 2024, Novotern plans to launch robust internship opportunities across Africa with regional partners. By empowering career success regardless of gender, geography or background, Novotern paves the way for a more inclusive tech industry in Africa and worldwide.