By Sodiq Adelakun
When Moyinoluwa, a computer science student at the Babcock University wanted to sit her exam, the ₦150,000 fee was out of reach. She applied to BytesAndCodes.org’s Kickstart Grant Programme and within three weeks had a paid exam voucher and a Udemy prep course for her first. “Without this, I’d still be watching YouTube tutorials and hoping,” Odetoro recalls.
BytesAndCodes is a non-profit founded by Suleiman Odetoro, a 23-year-old software engineer and MSc graduate. With a small team and funding raised from individual donors, the organisation runs certification sponsorships, peer tutoring, and educational content across Nigerian universities, operating on a lean model where resources go directly to students, not overhead.
A different approach to a familiar problem
Nigeria’s digital skills gap is well documented. The World Bank estimates 28 million workers will need technical training by 2030. Government initiatives like the Three Million Technical Talent programme (3MTT) aim to address this at scale, and established organisations like CWW Tech Africa and TechQuest have been working in this space for years.
BytesAndCodes is not trying to compete on scale.
“We don’t run boot camps or classrooms,” he explains. “We identify students who already have the skills but can’t afford the exam. Then we pay for the exam.”
This certification-first model is what distinguishes the organisation. While most skills programmes focus on teaching, BytesAndCodes focuses on credentialing, funding the actual exam fees for students who already have the knowledge but cannot afford the cost of industry-recognised qualifications.
Peer mentorship across campuses
Beyond exam funding, BytesAndCodes runs a volunteer peer-tutoring network active in universities across Nigeria where student volunteers guide their classmates through structured learning tracks in software development, networking, and other topics. The organisation distributes weekly educational infographics via WhatsApp, a deliberate choice given that most Nigerian students access content primarily through mobile messaging.
The organisation has involved industry professionals from companies including NHS and Lloyds Banking Group as mentors, but Odetoro says the real engine is the peer tutors. “You can ask someone to speak for one session and everyone claps. But a classmate who sits next to you in lectures and helps you debug your code every week is something that can actually change outcomes.”
Challenges and what’s next
Odetoro is candid about the limitations. “We’re a small team and we’re not going to transform Nigeria overnight, but people out there now have access to credentials they didn’t have before, and support networks to help them grow into roles they couldn’t have applied to six months ago.”
The organisation is currently looking at more barriers for students in its programme and is funded entirely by individual donations and has no government or corporate grants.
“I’ve been doing this kind of thing for years, finding ways to get people into tech,” Odetoro says. “Leadership at this stage is mostly logistics of coordinating volunteers, chasing donors, reviewing applications. It’s not glamorous but when someone sends you their results, you remember why you’re doing it.”
For more information or to support BytesAndCodes, visit bytesandcodes.org.
