Noluvuyo Gqadu
Nominee's Province:
Gauteng
Project Name/Description:
Founder, CodeNgwana
The teaching of coding and computational thinking skills to young children can help contribute to the future digital workforce – this is the mantra of CodeNgwana, a non-profit organisation.
It’s run by Gqadu, a woman with a formidable fifteen years experience in the technology field, armed with qualifications such as a postgraduate in information systems and Non-profit Leadership from the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University, respectively.
Gqadu began her career as a help desk agent at Capitec Bank, eventually rising to the role of IT manager for Glencore South Africa. Her career also includes roles at Capitec Bank, UCT, Old Mutual and Sasfin Bank.
She is further involved in the NPO space, serving as a board member at Dlala Nje, Waves for Change, and as a non-executive director at TeamPact, an attendance monitoring app. Her contributions extend into the EdTech and mental health spaces at the board level.
An accomplished TEDx speaker and international conference speaker, Gqadu has delivered talks on making coding for kids the new African language and on making coding inclusive at the World Technology and Innovation Congress 2022.
Her achievements include being named a 2019 Inspiring50 Winner, 2020 Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans, 2021 Womandla STEAM Award Winner, 2023 News24 Young Mandela of the Future and 2023 TransUnion Rising Star (Entrepreneur of the Year).
As an author, Gqadu has published three stories on technology for children, including a coding encyclopaedia for kids that has been translated into several African languages. She believes that integrating technical skills for the greater social good can create a better world and lead to a fulfilling life.
