The 2023 iteration of the NaijaCoder summer camp is now complete. Congratulations to the class of 2023 students. As one of the instructors, it was a nice experience to create a syllabus for the advanced high school students.

The in-person program ran from August 7 up to August 18, 2023 in Abuja, Nigeria. The board and head of schools of Lifegate Academy in Abuja was kind enough to allow us host the program within their premises, equipped with a computer lab that had enough facilities for every kid in class.

First Week

During the first week, we introduced the students to different variable types, logical statements, and loops (for/while/do-while). Then we spent some time on how (classical) computers represent information. Most of our sessions were spent on exercises to further reinforce any concepts introduced. Then we discussed the similarities and differences between the different searching algorithms, with a focus on implementing binary search from scratch in Python. Towards the end of the week, Dr. Lekan Afuye gave a fantastic lecture on the use of algorithms to design and test computer chips.

Second Week

The next week was more hands-on. Using Google colab, each student had to implement solutions to Python puzzles and test out their solutions on a few test cases on the computer. We also discussed the time and space complexity of computer algorithms, focusing on the basics of the big-O notation. Alida Monaco gave a presentation on how computer programming can be used to analyze or mitigate climate change impacts. It was a fascinating talk! We also spent some time on sorting algorithms and on analyzing the complexity of insertion/merge/bubble sorts. Of course, the students had to implement and test the algorithms on the lab computers. Also, using their already-implemented sorting algorithms they had to solve a few puzzles. Towards the end of the week, EducationUSA, from the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, gave a presentation and shared resources on how the students can prepare for applying to U.S. colleges. The presentation was superb! We concluded the week with a quiz. Every student got a participation certificate but a student got a perfect score on the quiz and he received a significant cash prize.

Conclusion

The NaijaCoder team is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that participants, parents, and tech enthusiasts are well-connected and informed throughout the camp. The organization’s social media presence on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn serves as a vibrant hub of information and updates.

Beyond equipping young minds with technical skills, NaijaCoder’s summer camp also serves as a platform for building a strong and supportive tech community. Participants get the chance to network with like-minded peers, mentors, and research and industry professionals, fostering a collaborative spirit that can have a lasting impact on their journey in the tech world. This is the beginning of a new and exciting journey for the class of 2023 and it is my privilege to be a part of this story. Looking forward to the NaijaCoder 2024 camp.