Hubtel Pledge, the corporate social responsibility foundation of Hubtel, as part of its support to St. Augustine’s College, has fulfilled its promise to furnish a state-of-the-art Coding Lab, a first of its kind for any senior high school in Ghana.

The project, unveiled during the school’s recent celebration of its 94th Anniversary and Speech Day, is part of the APSU 1999-year group legacy project.

It is made up of a refurbished 18-classroom block equipped with innovative technology, smart classrooms, 900 new furniture sets, and individual projectors in every room.

This impressive renovation provides a significantly enhanced learning environment for over 900 students. Inside this state-of-the-art edifice is the Coding Lab, championed by Hubtel to help generations of students learn how to write code.

The Coding Lab marks a significant advancement in equipping the Ghanaian youth, more specifically, the current students at St. Augustine’s College with the essential digital skills necessary for them to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of technology.

It will be recalled that in August 2023, Hubtel Pledge supported the cause with an amount of GH¢800,000 during the launch of the legacy project. Hubtel topped that up with the Coding Lab.

The entire Lab project was planned and executed by Hubtel, covering infrastructure, furniture, and the technology to equip the lab.

The quality of education in the modern world is massively facilitated by the quality of facilities readily available to students. And the quality of facilities depends on how relevant they are to solving real-world problems.

The Coding Lab was put together to help students learn how to write codes, an in-skill demand in the modern work environment. Every business requires these skills to achieve their goals.

Alex Bram, CEO of Hubtel, commented on the project's impact, saying, "The free SHS has been great. I’ve met people here whose background is almost very similar to ours....They come from very difficult economic backgrounds, but free SHS has opened it up, it has also put a lot of stress on the infrastructure, so it looks like we have to quicken the pace of maintenance to catch up.

"What we did here will open so many doors, and give others the confidence to pursue their dreams. It will make their life a little bit more comfortable as they walk through the school. Sending the ladder back so somebody else can climb it. And I think that is the best feeling."

Henry Arthur Gyan, Headmaster of St. Augustine's College, expressed his appreciation for the initiative: "Every year we have people come in to donate. It’s helping the school in a very good way because as an educational institution students need a very good environment to study."

Ernest Apenteng, General Manager of Hubtel, spoke about the legacy of giving back, "Old mates and people before our time had given back and we have benefitted from the good of their donations so it was natural that we also continue on that path so that the students will also feel part of the APSUNIAN brand."

Francis Gavor, CEO of Rock Africa, chimed in on the importance of impactful giving: "There is a blessing in giving back, and the rest of it is the impact of the giving. The most important thing is to identify what you can do that will transcend to many generations."

Elliott Asiedu, Convener of APSU ’99, highlighted the significance of the project: "APSU ’99 has set the standard when it comes to hosting of speech day in St. Augustine’s College and by extension other second cycle institutions in Ghana."

In addition to providing students with technical expertise, the coding lab will also foster a culture of creativity and entrepreneurship.

Particularly, having access to such an ultra-modern lab provides a lot of inspiration to students and pushes them in new directions they may have thought were out of reach for the African child.