The government is leveraging on the internet explosion to create unique opportunities for many youth to innovate and provide solutions to stem the rising unemployment levels in the country, Principal Secretary (PS) State department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Ms. Esther Koimett has said.
Ms. Koimett said that through the Ajira Digital Programme (ADP), the government will train and equip the youth with skills and knowledge to take advantage of the growth of linkage platforms for goods and services which will provide numerous opportunities to create out-sourced jobs for a large and diverse group of young people.
Speaking on Friday at the University of Nairobi (UoN) during the closing ceremony of the induction course for 250 interns under the ADP, the PS said that the government envisages that the one year internship programme will help equip the interns with the necessary skills and work related experience to actualize the vision 2030 dream of making Kenya a knowledgeable society.
“The Ajira digital programme will in the long run guide you to leverage on digital jobs for the length of your career whether or not you choose to pursue formal employment,” said Ms. Koimett.
The PS explained that the guidelines for the Ajira Digital Programme interns gives them the responsibility for the programme administration, support and administration of key work-streams strategy to ensure effective and efficient delivery and achievement of goals and objectives of the programme in the regions.
She added that the programme is to be implemented in collaboration with partners who include counties, constituencies, Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVETS), Youth polytechnics, universities, the MasterCard foundation among others.
The PS State Department for Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), Jerome Ochieng said that he has heard that there are concerns over the areas that some of the interns have been posted.
“I am sure there is no one who has been posted outside our borders and you should be proud that you are working within Kenya,” said Ochieng.
The PS said that the government has the obligation to deliver services irrespective of the location where Kenyans are, adding that it is impossible for every one of the interns to work in Nairobi.
“That person in the furthest corner of this country be it Busia, Butere, Marsabit, Turkana requires services from the government and it should be your pride to serve these people,” emphasized the PS.
According to Ochieng the issue of where one is posted should not worry them so much but it should be an element of taking up the posting as a challenge and overcoming it.
“Charles Darwin in his theory about evolution said that it is not about survival for the fittest or the most intelligent, but rather survival is for those who adopt to change. So your ability to survive depends on your capability to take up the challenge and excel at it. As a ministry we wish to assure you of our support wherever you are and we want you to be our ambassadors in whatever part of the country you will be working,” said Ochieng.
He continued: “We need you change the narrative that ‘vitu kwa ground ni different’ meaning that things on the ground are different and have the slogan ‘vitu kwa ground zina happen’ meaning that things are moving smoothly down at the grass root level.”
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
