The Tunisian startup specializing in Ed-Tech – GOMYCODE announces its expansion by opening in Cairo – Egypt. Through an educational platform forming the next generation of technological and digital profiles and connecting them with the companies that build the world of tomorrow, GOMYCODE aims to become one of the largest tech and digital communities in Africa and the Middle East.
Launched in 2017 by Yahya and Amine Bouhlel, GOMYCODE now has more than 80 talents with diverse profiles among its employees and a network of over 100 trainers across the Hackerspaces of Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Bahrain and now Egypt.
Based on a blended learning model, between a physical presence within GOMYCODE’s Hackerspaces and online learning, GOMYCODE wants to have a strong impact in terms of talent training and ease their integration to a digitised job market and economy.
It’s with that vision, that over the past 3 years, more than 8,000 students have been trained and have been able to acquire new skills, opening up new professional horizons for them. With more than 100 employment partners around Europe and the Arab region, almost 85% got placed into jobs.
Rethinking education, the GOMYCODE’s model aims to be the school of the 21st century providing, for all, training in web development, video game development, Artificial Intelligence, Data science, design, digital marketing and Business Intelligence.
“I believe Entrepreneurship and Education allow people to live a life they believe in rather than a life they’re conditioned to accept. Listening more closely to the team’s vision for GOMYCODE certainly reflected our shared values and commitment to this empowering cause. I am truly thrilled to be leading this parallel chapter in Egypt towards making this an impactful venture and hope to continue learning and sharing amidst this growing community of changemakers” announced Nada Beshir, Country launcher of GOMYCODE Egypt.
Why Egypt?
According to the Arab Monetary Fund, around 6 million jobs are now at risk in the Arab world, and the most in-demand jobs in the region require applied digital skills.
In these recent years, Egypt’s educational system has evolved into becoming more tech-based. This shift was taken to meet an increasingly increased demand in the tech professions.
Information and Communication Technologies currently account for 3.1 percent of the Egyptian national GDP. The Egyptian government is looking to double this to about 6 percent by 2025.
With strong market conditions the future for Egyptian IT professionals looks positive. Digital transformation initiatives among government entities and private enterprises as well as a rise in entrepreneurship in the country bode well for the long-term health of the technology job market.
For all these reasons, GOMYCODE believes that it can play an important role in the training and acquisition of new technological skills for Egyptians, especially in reskilling.
H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, the Minister of International Cooperation, stated that though the COVID-19 pandemic caused high unemployment rates worldwide, “this disruption causes an opportunity to reskill employees in a way that promotes a sustainable and inclusive economy. I find that Egypt’s young population, which constitutes 60% of the total population, is a major opportunity” Al-Mashat said. GOMYCODE believes it too.
Helping youth facing a changing world
Earlier this year GOMYCODE announced the raising of 1.7 million dinars to continue its expansion.
In addition to Tunis, Sousse and Sfax, new Hackerspaces have opened in Algiers (Algeria), Casablanca (Morocco) and Manama (Bahrain). New Hackerspaces will soon open on Tunisian territory, including the upcoming opening of a new hackerspace in downtown Tunis.
GOMYCODE also aims to develop its presence on the African and Middle Eastern market, where 42% of professions are strongly impacted by digitization and where 65% of the workforce do not have the necessary skills in this field.
There’s also 400.000 job openings in the digital industry in Africa and the Middle East.
By 2030, the African Venture & Startup Funding Report 2018 estimates that the number of young people in Africa will increase by 42%. This will represent a market for young talents, most of whom are unfamiliar with digital developments. This market concerns 1.2 billion people, 700 million are under the age of 25.
“We continue to deliver on our vision of providing high level digital education with a unique learning experience that leaves lasting impressions and have a positive impact on people’s lives. We will invest massively in our technology, our team and strengthen our operations” announces Yahya Boulel, CEO of GOMYCODE.
