By Jeremiah Urowayino

When Nigerian children as young as five start reciting Python code alongside their multiplication tables, something revolutionary is happening. At the heart of this transformation is Codeant Technology Hub, co-founded by Chidi Duru in 2018.

In classrooms from Owerri to Umuahia, coding and robotics are no longer after-school luxuries; they’re becoming part of the core curriculum.

“My son came home excited about debugging a ‘robotic arm,’” said Mrs. Onwubuariri, a parent at St. Monica’s Nursery and Primary School. “I had to Google what that meant.”

Codeant’s model reimagines basic education. It integrates coding and robotics into primary and secondary school curricula using a playful, age-appropriate approach.

With kits powered by the UK-based Raspberry Pi Foundation, children are introduced to the same tools that have become the backbone of STEM education in Europe and North America. What makes this collaboration striking is how it situates Nigerian classrooms in a global conversation, bridging local ambition with international best practice.

“We designed our curriculum to align with early cognitive development stages,” said Duru. “If children can understand puzzle patterns, they can understand logic gates.” Each classroom is co-led by a STEM-trained teacher and a Codeant facilitator, ensuring immersive, project-based learning environments where students learn by doing, not just memorizing.

The impact is measurable. A 2022 evaluation of 15 Codeant-partner schools in Southeastern Nigeria showed a 38% percent average increase in standardized STEM scores, with many schools noting higher retention and engagement rates. Teachers describe a palpable shift in classroom dynamics. “Coding turned my class around,” said Ms. Ijeoma Ndukwe, a primary school teacher. “Children who struggled in math now shine in logical reasoning.”

Behind these classroom successes lies a powerful network of partnerships. Codeant is not operating in isolation; it is reinforced by collaborations that give its work scale and authority. Its partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation has made world-class technology accessible to Nigerian children, embedding UK-designed microcomputers at the very heart of their learning.

To sustain this progress, Codeant launched an Annual Upskilling Program in 2021 for educators. Over three hundred teachers have already been trained in digital pedagogy, robotics handling, and curriculum alignment. “We’re not just teaching kids—we’re equipping the educators too,” Duru emphasized. “We’re building an ecosystem.”

In 2022, the hub partnered with the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), making Nigeria the first African country to certify secondary school students in coding as a trade. That recognition, rooted in Codeant’s outcomes, means teenagers now graduate with tangible programming credentials before they leave high school.

The ecosystem is also expanding through new collaborations. In partnership with Data Science Nigeria (DSN) and under the Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy’s 3MTT/DEEPTECH_READY Upskilling Project, a program backed by Google.org, Codeant is scaling its impact in underserved communities. As a licensed host of the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Coolest Projects Nigeria, Codeant further connects its students with global peers.

In 2024, the World Bank, through Nigeria’s IDEAS project, supported Codeant with a ₦100 million Innovation Grant Facility to train and certify 500 youths in advanced digital skills. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) brought Codeant into its flagship Three Million Technical Talent programme, further embedding its curriculum in national policy. And with GIZ, Germany’s development agency, Codeant has tapped into global expertise in vocational education to expand its reach.

“Seeing Raspberry Pi tools and Microbit in Nigerian classrooms shows that this is more than a local experiment,” remarked Dr. Helen Okoye, an education technology consultant. “It is evidence that Nigerian children are learning on the same platforms as their peers in London or Berlin. That levels the playing field.”