When Leonard Bett, one of Kenya’s top steeplechase athletes, attended a coding workshop in Nairobi recently, he wasn’t looking to change careers. He wanted to build a digital platform to analyse athletic performance, and discovered that he could do so without spending years studying programming.
Bett was among more than 150 students and professionals across East Africa who participated in Zoho’s expanded Young Creators Programme, which teaches participants to build business applications using low-code technology — platforms that allow users to create software by describing what they want in plain language, rather than writing traditional code.
The Indian technology company conducted workshops in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Madagascar, partnering with local institutions to introduce participants to Zoho Creator — its low-code development platform powered by an AI assistant called Zia.
“Through the Young Creators Programme, we are helping students and professionals across East Africa gain the tools and confidence to turn their ideas into impactful digital solutions,” said Veerakumar Natarajan, Zoho’s regional manager for East Africa.
The expansion comes at a time when technology companies are increasingly looking to Africa’s young population — the continent’s median age is just 19 — as both a market and a source of digital talent. Low-code platforms, which require less technical expertise than traditional programming, are seen as a way to accelerate this development.
In Uganda, Zoho partnered with Analytics Business Centre for a Women in Software Engineering edition that drew 43 attendees, including students, professionals, and entrepreneurs from various sectors. The session focused on empowering women to leverage low-code development for business innovation, process automation and digital entrepreneurship — reflecting Zoho’s broader commitment to promoting inclusivity in the technology ecosystem.
“Our collaboration with Zoho aligns perfectly with our mission to upskill and empower women through technology,” said Primera Muthoni, chief executive and founder of Women in Software Engineering Uganda. “We are proud to see participants leave with confidence and ability to build apps that drive innovation and financial independence.”
The focus on women reflects broader concerns about the gender imbalance in technology. Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s largest gender digital divide; women in the region are 37 per cent less likely to have access to digital technology and its associated economic benefits.
The programme made its debut in Tanzania at the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology, where 24 computer science students learnt to build applications. In Madagascar, 27 participants — many new to programming — attended a session organised with Belgian premium partner BrainSolutions in Antananarivo.
“Seeing beginners gain the confidence to transform their ideas into real applications using low-code tools has been truly inspiring,” said Anna Andruamialivelo, Tech Lead at BrainSolutions Madagascar.
Whether low-code platforms will genuinely democratise software development remains contentious. Critics argue that they may produce users who are comfortable with pre-built tools but lack deeper programming knowledge, whilst professional developers are concerned about limited customisation options and inflexibility when dealing with complex tasks. Developers also fear getting trapped between the promise of quick solutions and the reality that working with low-code tools can prove slower and more frustrating than traditional coding.
Proponents counter that these platforms break down barriers by empowering subject-matter experts to contribute their unique perspectives to the development process, and that no-code and low-code tools can help developers build 60–70 per cent of an enterprise application straight away, freeing up their time to focus on mission-critical activities.
Zoho, which is privately held and operates its own data centres, has more than 130 million users globally across its 55 business applications. The Young Creators Programme, launched in 2022, has trained more than 4,000 participants worldwide.
The company maintains offices across the Middle East and Africa, including in Kenya, where the regional headquarters are located, as well as in South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Mauritius.
For now, participants such as the 42 attendees at EldoHub in Kenya are focused on immediate possibilities. However, Sarah Towet, the hub’s co-founder and programmes lead, sees potential beyond traditional tech careers.
“Zoho’s low-code platform opens opportunities for anyone to innovate, regardless of their background,” she said. “Our partnership demonstrates how technology can empower young people and professionals alike to create impactful solutions in their communities.”
