Andela Program Manager, Chimdindu's Journey to Google I/O 2017

This is a guest post by Andela Developer, Chimdindu Aneke.

Three months ago, I was fortunate to join Andela as a program manager to lead the Android Learning Community (ALC). In partnership with Google and Udacity, Andela initiated a move to kickstart the journey of aspiring Nigerians into the world of Android mobile development. The program is currently supporting more than 2,000 developers, both online and offline, and it allows them the ability to complete an Android course on Udacity. The design and execution of the ALC program, which is currently four weeks underway, has already been considered by Google as a “global best practice”. Hence, I was selected to represent the ALC program at Google I/O 2017, alongside Awosupin Solomon, the program manager from Google on the same project. This honor is a direct result of the positive outcome of the great work the team has done so far, with maximum returns on investment in the early weeks of the program.Google I/O is the biggest developer festival in the world. It’s a time when Google showcases it's ground-breaking innovations and also presents an opportunity to connect with hundreds of developer communities from around the world, share experiences, learn more about community building and its sustenance. Who wouldn't love to attend it?

We consider Google I/O a learning trip that will help us to shape the ALC program and other forthcoming initiatives better. It also allows us to showcase the roles Andela and Google are playing to empower the next generation of software developers in Africa. Andela, now with more than 300 developers across our Lagos and Nairobi headquarters, is making a tremendous impact in Africa by investing in the talent and transforming technologists into global tech leaders. We’re all the more grateful for this opportunity because we’ve been fighting tooth and nail for some of the learners in the ALC program to represent at I/O. So, having the tables turned -- being the ones selected to attend -- means a lot to us. It’s a dream come true and we can’t wait to inspire Africa with learnings from IO 2017!Google IO 2017 - Anyi abiawago o!!!(Igbo language) : “Google IO 2017 - We’re coming!!!