13-Yr-Old Nigerian Emerges Youngest AWS Developer Associate In Africa

A 13-year-old programmer Joshua Agboola has emerged as the youngest Certified Amazon Web Services (AWS) Developer Associate in Africa.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Agboola achieved the feat after a gruelling two-hour examination that tested his skills and knowledge in deploying, troubleshooting, and developing on the AWS cloud platform.

Cloud services are infrastructure, platforms, or software that are hosted by third-party providers and made available to users through the Internet.

Agboola, in an interview with NAN in Lagos on Sunday, said he was inspired to achieve the feat because of his outstanding performance in his AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner examination earlier in the year.

He said that as a result, he was encouraged by his father to take his pursuit of a cloud career further by sitting for the next level of certification.

Agboola said that though he had developed an interest in DevOps, the popular progression was to go for the Solutions Architect Associate certification, and this was what he did.

“I was initially preparing for the Solutions Architect Associate certification which is the next certification most people take in their AWS cloud journey, but had a change of mind for a tougher developer associate certification due to encouragement from an older friend programmer.

‘’The light bulb went up in my head, and I began studying the next day.

‘’The possibility of clinching the title of the youngest Developer Associate in the world, which is an equivalent of a world record in the cloud space, also became a strong motivation for me,’’ he said.

According to him, I prepared for the test by studying for about two to five hours daily for about six weeks.

Agboola said the first two weeks of study were to appreciate the core concepts of the course and also gain knowledge of all the topics that could come up in the exam.

He said he turned part of the study time into revision time and had to cover the content of the Solutions Architect course earlier which gladdened me because my practising has paid off.

The 13-year-old internet sensation said his achievement in the cloud space had gotten noticed, saying “A tech. company in Lagos has already offered to provide me with further technical mentorship”.

He dedicated his achievement to young people who wish to build a career in technology while encouraging the young ones to go for their dreams.

According to Amazon, getting certified as an AWS Developer Associate showcases knowledge and understanding of core AWS services, and proficiency in developing, deploying, and debugging cloud-based applications.

Amazon said that organisations with AWS-certified developers have the assurance of having the right talent to give them a competitive advantage and ensure stakeholders and customers satisfaction.

“Preparing for and attaining this certification gives certified individuals more confidence and credibility,” it added.

NAN reports that earlier, Agboola had taken and passed the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification becoming the youngest in Africa to do so.

Likewise, on July 17, 2023, he sat for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate examination and passed with flying colours which is another first for Africa.