The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Authority is out to empower the youth with digital ideas and skills that will help them create jobs for themselves.
ICT Authority Board Chairman Sylvanus Maritim has urged the youth to take advantage of digital platforms like Ajira and Jitume to empower themselves economically.
Maritim says the twin ICT initiative seeks to provide free access to digital skills training and job openings for young Kenyans.
He challenged the youth to venture into digital innovation and desist from over-reliance on the elusive white collar jobs.
“We need to empower the youth with critical skills to help them grow the country’s digital economy and adapt to the rapidly changing skill landscape,” he said.
He said the national government recognises the important role ICT plays in the socio-economic development of the country by bringing inclusiveness to the digital transformation agenda.
Maritim spoke in Kwale County during the launch of a free public Wi-Fi hotspot at Diani Market in Msambweni Sub County by ICT and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo.
The event was also attended by Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani, Msambweni MP Feisal Bader, and UDA-nominated Senator Miraj Abdillahi.
He says ICT hubs are fundamental because they will aid growth in information technology, productivity, and creativity and also provide youth employment in the country.
Maritim says he is aware of the fact that a lack of digital literacy is increasingly emerging as a leading barrier to internet use in many parts of the country.
“The ICT Authority is in the process of setting up digital training hubs in all electoral wards in a bid to provide employable skills to young people,” he said.
He says the ICT community hubs will revolutionise the digital transformation agenda championed by the Kenya Kwanza Administration and fit well into the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) plan as outlined by President William Ruto.
“The innovation hubs are expected to train the youth in ICT and digital skills and generate new ideas and jobs,” he said.
Maritim says the ICT innovation hubs will go a long way towards nurturing, accelerating, and leveraging innovative digital solutions for the people.
He said equipping the youth with digital skills will enable them to be competitive in today’s digital world.
Maritim says to ensure digital inclusion, the ICT Authority is spearheading efforts to set up public Wi-Fi hotspots in markets, bus parks, and other social spaces.
He says the increase in patronage of market centres and bus parks, among other public places, has prompted the ICT Authority to equip such spaces with free public Wi-Fi to serve the needs of the people.
The ICT Authority Board Chairman says the provision of free Wi-Fi across the country will ensure a wide reach for the Ajira and Jitume digital projects.
He says the ICT Authority remains committed to creating an enabling environment that supports innovation, entrepreneurship, inclusion, and digital transformation for development.
He noted that the spread of the fibre optic network across the counties and the rise of the internet will enable many Kenyans to formalise their businesses and embrace e-commerce.
Maritim says last-mile internet connectivity will create an ICT ecosystem in the health, agriculture, and education sectors.
He says the innovation hubs are critical to President Ruto’s inclusive growth and development plan and to the integration of the country’s digital economy.
Governor Achani has welcomed the national government’s initiative to launch public Wi-Fi hotspots in public places.
Achani says the Wi-Fi hotspots will go a long way in empowering small and micro enterprises and ensuring that traders have reliable access to e-commerce services to market their products online.
She urged the youth to make good use of the digital programmes to enhance their skills and seize employment opportunities found in the ICT sector.
By Hussein Abdullahi
