Laikipia County Governor, Joshua Irungu has commissioned Sh3.5million ICT hub at Wiyumiririe Vocational Training Centre.
The ICT hub, funded by the Safaricom Foundation and fully equipped with computers and internet connectivity, has a capacity of 20 learners per session.
While commissioning the hub, Governor Irungu appreciated the Safaricom Foundation for the good gesture shown to the vocational centre, which will boost digital skills not only for the Wiyumiririe Vocational Training Centre students but also for the local community.
The Governor urged the students and the local community to put the hub to maximum use to increase their knowledge in digital skills.
He further noted that the hub will enhance online job searches and applications as well as online earnings, hence boosting the online economy in the county.
“The hub will enhance delivery of government services through the e-citizen platform and hence ease their access by the local community as well as provide a platform for online marketing of their produce, hence spurring the economy of the locals,“added the Governor.
He assured the locals that his government will provide staff and other personnel required to run the hub.
The governor said the county government will continue partnering with the Safaricom Foundation to reach out to more vocational centres and schools, adding that consultation is ongoing to reach out to hospitals with Internet connectivity.
While handing over the ICT hub, the Chairman of the Safaricom Foundation, Joe Ogutu, said the programme is part of a larger programme of the Safaricom Foundation aimed at renovating Vocational Training centres in collaboration with County governments to ensure students, together with their instructors, have access to digital content and have the ability to acquire digital skills.
“This is very crucial for we are moving to a digital world and our technical students who go through our various technical training colleges need to have those skills so that they can access the latest information about the skills they are being trained for,” noted Ogutu.
In addition to upgrading the facilities, the Chairman said the Foundation is also offering scholarships through the Mpesa Foundation to support young people who are going into technical training colleges, adding that so far the Mpesa Foundation is supporting about 900 students in Nairobi, Marsabit and Isiolo Counties and will expand to other counties.
He added that in Laikipia County they have done upgrading of Waithaka Polytechnic and Wiyumiririe is the second one and they are in the process of rolling out the programme to other technical training Colleges in the county.
By Kimani Tirus
