Multiple free and low-cost coding programs exist for women in Tanzania. Apps and Girls runs workshops and bootcamps across the country at no cost. Project Kuongoza offers leadership and tech training for women. She Code Africa provides mentorship and community across the continent. COSTECH occasionally funds tech training programs that include women-specific tracks. International programs like freeCodeCamp and The Odin Project are entirely free and accessible from Tanzania. The key is verifying that each program is currently active before applying, as funding cycles affect availability.
Apps and Girls: The most prominent women-in-tech organization in Tanzania. Founded locally, Apps and Girls has trained thousands of girls and young women in coding, app development, and design thinking. Their programs are typically free and include:
Programs run in Dar es Salaam and periodically in other Tanzanian cities. Check their website and social media for current cohort applications.
Project Kuongoza: Focused on leadership and technology for women. "Kuongoza" means "to lead" in Kiswahili, and the program reflects this by combining technical skills training with leadership development, confidence building, and career navigation. Programs are free or heavily subsidized through partnerships with international organizations.
COSTECH-supported programs: The Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology periodically funds or co-hosts technology training initiatives. Some include tracks for women. Monitor COSTECH announcements and their partnerships with tech hubs like Buni Hub.
University programs: UDSM and NM-AIST occasionally host coding workshops and tech events that include women-specific tracks. These are typically free for enrolled students and sometimes open to the public.
She Code Africa: A continent-wide community for women in tech. While not exclusively a training program, She Code Africa offers:
Everything is free. The community is online, so you can participate fully from Dar es Salaam, Arusha, or anywhere in Tanzania with an internet connection.
AkiraChix (East Africa-based): While primarily headquartered in Nairobi, AkiraChix's programs and community extend to East African women. Their intensive training programs for young women from underserved communities have produced strong developers. Check if they have expanded any programs to Tanzania or if you can participate remotely.
ALX Africa: Offers software engineering and other tech programs across Africa. Some programs are free or offer scholarships, and they accept Tanzanian applicants. The programs are intensive and online, requiring significant time commitment.
Google Women Techmakers: Google's global program supporting women in tech. They host events, offer scholarships, and provide a community platform. Events are sometimes held in Dar es Salaam or accessible online.
Important note: Pan-African programs often have application windows and cohort schedules. Missing one deadline means waiting for the next cycle. Follow these organizations on social media and sign up for their newsletters so you do not miss application periods.
Get weekly developer tips
Join 25,000+ developers. Practical guides, job tips, and new content — straight to your inbox.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
These platforms offer free, structured coding curricula that anyone can use from Tanzania. They are not women-specific, but they pair well with the community and mentorship from the organizations above:
freeCodeCamp: Completely free. Covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Node.js, databases, and more. Self-paced, project-based curriculum. You earn certifications by completing projects. Over 10,000 hours of content. The quality is excellent and it is the most popular free coding platform globally.
The Odin Project: Free, open-source curriculum for full-stack web development. More structured and opinionated than freeCodeCamp (they tell you what to learn in what order). Covers the same full-stack JavaScript path. Excellent for self-disciplined learners.
Codecademy (free tier): Interactive coding lessons with immediate feedback. The free tier covers basic JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and Python. The paid tier adds more content, but the free version is enough to get started.
CS50 by Harvard (free on edX): The most popular introductory computer science course in the world. Free to audit. Covers programming fundamentals, algorithms, and problem-solving. Excellent for building a strong theoretical foundation.
The strategy: use free online resources for the technical curriculum and local/Pan-African organizations for community, mentorship, and accountability. The combination gives you structured learning (from freeCodeCamp or The Odin Project) with the support network (from Apps and Girls, She Code Africa, or Project Kuongoza) that increases your chances of persisting through the difficult early months.
Free resources are excellent for getting started, but structured courses with mentorship, feedback, and accountability can accelerate your learning significantly. Here are affordable options:
McTaba Tech Foundations (approximately TZS 60,000): A structured introductory course that covers the conceptual groundwork before you write code. It explains how the internet works, what databases do, how APIs connect systems, and what different programming languages are used for. This is designed for complete beginners and helps you make informed decisions about your learning path. Learn more.
Udemy courses (TZS 25,000 to TZS 70,000 during sales): Udemy runs frequent sales where courses drop to $10 to $15 (approximately TZS 26,000 to TZS 39,000). Quality varies wildly. Look for courses by established instructors with thousands of reviews. Popular options include courses by Maximilian Schwarzmuller (React), Jonas Schmedtmann (JavaScript), and Angela Yu (web development).
Coursera financial aid: Many Coursera courses offer financial aid for learners in developing countries. The application takes about 15 minutes and is usually approved within two weeks. This gives you access to courses from Google, IBM, and major universities at zero cost.
When you are ready for a comprehensive program, the Full-Stack Software and AI Engineering course (approximately TZS 2,400,000) covers everything from fundamentals to deployment with mentorship included. Payment plans may be available. Create a free account to explore the curriculum first.
Free resources are abundant. Finishing them is rare. Here is how to make free programs and platforms work for you instead of becoming another abandoned attempt:
Pick one curriculum and commit. Do not jump between freeCodeCamp, The Odin Project, three YouTube channels, and a Udemy course. Pick one primary resource and follow it sequentially. Supplement with others only when you need a different explanation for a specific concept.
Set a schedule (ratiba). Treat your learning time like a class. "I study coding from 7 PM to 9 PM, Monday through Friday" is more likely to stick than "I will code when I have time." Your brain needs consistency to absorb new concepts.
Find an accountability partner. This is where women-in-tech communities add the most value. Find one other woman in Apps and Girls, She Code Africa, or your local network who is learning at a similar pace. Check in weekly. Share what you learned, what confused you, and what you plan to tackle next. Accountability triples your chances of persisting.
Build projects, not just tutorials. After every section you learn, build something with it. Even something small. A project forces you to apply knowledge in a way that following along with a tutorial does not. Your first projects will be rough. That is normal and necessary.
Celebrate progress, not perfection. Your first website will look amateur. Your first JavaScript function will be clumsy. This is fine. Every professional developer started where you are. The gap between you and them is time and practice, nothing more.
Create a free McTaba Academy account. Access starter lessons, join the community, and explore at your own pace.
Create Free Account