Growing the largest talent pool of
women-in-tech in Africa

codeHive is the AkiraChix signature program. It is a one-year fully subsidized residential hands-on technical training program. It provides education and economic opportunity to young women between 18 and 24 years from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have completed high school education, unable to further their education due to financial constraints.

In 2022 we intend to recruit highly motivated young women from across Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda’s underserved communities. And offer market-ready technology, life skills and leadership training.

Our students in the codeHive program also receive mentorship from global names in technology and business and go on a three-month work experience. They also get to attend and network at leading technology conferences and workshops.

As part of the program, we also push our students to not only learn but innovate. As part of graduation, students are all required to produce market-ready prototype solutions. We also support our students to find a work placement in the technology industry and offer them 6-month additional support as a career launchpad, post-graduation.

Applications are now closed

Applicants must have:

Completed High School no later than 2019
Possess a High School result slip/ transcript/ Photo or your results sent via SMS
Be a young African woman aged 19-24 years on January 2022
Fluent in spoken and written English
Be a resident of Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda or refugee communities in Kenya
Have a passport, National ID, Alien ID or Refugee certificate of your respective country of origin
Interested in technology or its use in bringing change to communities
Available full-time from February 1, to December 1, 2022, and willing to live on the AkiraChix campus, in Nairobi, Kenya throughout the program
Be a changemaker and committed to service in your community
Demonstrate leadership i.e. be able to demonstrate your involvement in leadership activities in your community i.e at school, church/mosque/ temple etc

All young women admitted to the codeHive program receive full financial assistance of US $ 4,000 per student. This cost covers:

One year tuition-free, accommodation, extracurricular activities, meals, transportation, and personal amenities,
Access to healthcare during emergencies,
Access to technology hubs and maker spaces in Nairobi for tech events and prototyping respectively,
Access to a selected pool of mentors for guidance on careers and personal growth,
Access to conditional 6-month incubation after the one-year codeHive program. This is to support graduates to find and secure employment.

The codeHive course is purposefully kept free to ensure the opportunity is open and accessible to the best candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds. We believe it gives dignity to the students and provides a concrete opportunity to provide a ‘hand-up’ to the next person on the ladder once they have successfully graduated from the AkiraChix program and found gainful employment. Details of the honor system are shared with the selected candidates and a social agreement signed.

At AkiraChix we believe for any young woman to impact her community and succeed individually is based on your relationship with others. At AkiraChix sisterhood is the heart of what we do. We sum it up in the phrase, #IAMAKIRACHIX. We believe by opening yourself up to new friendships which challenge and support your growth it accelerates your personal development and the collective development of your peers. As part of the codeHive program, we heavily constitute group projects, mentorship and tech-community meetups as part of our DNA. With this vast interaction and collective growth, we build a steady community of intelligent, innovative, inspiring and impactful young women.