Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o has unveiled the first edition of a free digital training programme, which is set to benefit up to 300 unemployed young people.
Zone 01 Kisumu is a joint initiative by the Kisumu County Government, LakeHub, 01 Talent Africa, and the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA).
It aims at offering fully funded software development training to equip the youth with digital skills to enhance their employability and enable them to thrive in the tech industry.
The initiative targets youth from across the country and is the first of its kind to be hosted in the lakeside city. It gives Kisumu the distinction of being the first county to host the first Digital 01 Talent Intelligence Centre in East Africa.
In his speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Mathews Owili, the governor lauded the programme as an opportunity to offer world-class digital training to young Kenyans and help in addressing the problem of youth unemployment.
“Zone 01 creates life-changing opportunities for young raw talent to become digital pioneers and leaders of the African Digital space,” Prof. Nyong’o told the selected recipients.
The government, he noted, in her bid to roll out the digitization of all her processes and services, encountered challenges due to the growing shortage of qualified skills in the digital professions. This, he hopes, will be addressed with the launch of the first Zone 01 in Kisumu.
“The youth remain a priority, and we want to give them hope and unleash their creative potential to contribute to the innovation and digital transformation of the World. Our main goal is to develop human capital through an inclusive and sustainable approach to facilitate the digital and social transition,” Prof. Nyong’o stated.
According to LakeHub Co-Founder James Odede, the training will be without teachers and will be based on a peer-to-peer learning model that enables the learners to acquire world-class coding skills.
“The beneficiaries will undergo the training for a period of two years while also receiving sustenance stipends. Thereafter, all the Zone 01 Kisumu learners will be guaranteed at least three years’ employment contract from our global tech talent agency,” Adede revealed.
The training, he added, is modelled to provide first-rate education regardless of the individual’s experience and background.
“They are early career starters, career switchers or returners, and experienced professionals who are looking for a mid-career refresh or returning from an absence; we will provide them with the necessary skills to thrive in the job market of the future,” Adede assured.
The trainees are set to specialise in a range of high-demand technology fields, including cybersecurity, blockchain development, data engineering, game development, Artificial Intelligence, and Web App Development.
By Robert Ojwang’
