Moniepoint Inc., a digital financial service provider, has announced the opening of applications for the second cohort of its flagship DreamDevs initiative, aimed at strengthening the continent’s technology talent pipeline.

The company disclosed this in a statement on Thursday by its chief technology officer, Felix Ike, of Moniepoint Inc.

He said that the programme, open to recent graduates across Nigeria, is designed to bridge the tech talent gap by equipping young professionals with industry-ready skills and real-world experiences.

Mr Ike said DreamDevs was structured as a national talent search for high-potential software engineers, with only 20 candidates selected annually for an intensive nine-week boot camp.

According to him, outstanding participants would  progress into six-month internship placements at Moniepoint, with the possibility of full-time employment based on performance.

The company said that the maiden cohort of the initiative produced four hires comprising three interns and one full-time engineer, underscoring the programme’s effectiveness as a talent development pipeline.

‘’The initiative targets graduates of technology, computer science, engineering and related disciplines with foundational knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Participants will undergo hands-on training delivered by senior software engineers, covering core technical and professional skills required to thrive in the global tech ecosystem,’’ he said.

Mr Ike said that the results of the first cohort reinforced the company’s confidence in Africa’s young tech talent.

“The results from our first cohort validated our belief that with the right training and support, Africa’s young tech talent can compete globally.

‘’This year, we are doubling down on our commitment by aiming to convert half of our participants into full-time employees. For us, DreamDevs is about creating sustainable career pathways that drive Africa’s digital economy forward,” Mr Ike said.

Mr Ike said that the initiative aligns with Moniepoint’s broader vision of using technology to power the dreams of millions and promote financial inclusion across Africa.

According to him, the DreamDevs programme complements Moniepoint’s other talent development initiatives, including HatchDev, a collaboration with NITHub, University of Lagos, which produces about 500 specialised developers annually.

Mr Ike said it also builds on the company’s Women-in-Tech programme, now in its fifth year, and supports the federal government’s Three Million Technical Talent programme, for which Moniepoint is a key sponsor.

The co-founder said that Moniepoint is proud to support the government’s vision of building three million technical talents, while also creating direct employment opportunities through initiatives like DreamDevs.

A beneficiary of the first cohort, Victor Adepoju, who is now a backend engineer at Moniepoint, described the programme as impactful.

Mr Adepoju described the programme’s organisation as top-notch. He said the training covered a wide range of topics and provided him with a solid foundation, particularly in cloud technologies such as Google Cloud Platform.

The selection into the second cohort would be based on technical aptitude, learning potential and alignment with Moniepoint’s values of innovation and excellence.

Interested and qualified graduates are advised to apply before the January 20 deadline through dreamdevs.moniepoint.com.

(NAN)