The Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports and the Art in collaboration with Huawei has embarked on Digital Technology training for youth in Busia County
The training that was officially launched by the Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba will see at least 150 youth engaged in a six weeks training on ICT related field.
Speaking during the ceremony at Ches bay on Saturday, Namwamba said that the program aims at lifting the youth from digital illiteracy.
“We want to skill our youth so that they can effectively compete with the rest of the world in the ICT sector,” he said, adding that the best place is the digital space because the world today had gone digital.
He explained that there are certain job opportunities that can only be obtained from the digital space.
‘Those jobs are there for the youth, he said adding that those who are digitally illiterate are automatically locked out.
The CS explained that going forward the youth will be able to use their mobile phones and other digital equipment to access the digital space.
‘We are opening up a whole new arena for innovation,’ he said adding that youth should innovate in the business ideas that can be incubated, grown and unleashed to the market.
Namwmba further said that youth should also come up with scientific concepts that can solve problems at the world stage.
‘Today we have M-pesa which was an innovation from some two young Kenyans who later sold it to Safaricom before it was unleashed into the world as a mobile money revolution’ he said adding that the initiative has changed how people carry out business transactions.
He urged the youth with innovative ideas to liaise with the Kenya Innovation Agency so that such ideas can be incubated and supported to grow.
The CS at the same time said that all the 184 youth empowerment centers across the country will be handed over to the Kenya National Innovation Agency to be turned into digital hubs.
‘The move will help us to take advantage of the 100,000 kilometers of the digital super highway so that a young person who wants to do research can go to the digital hub,’ he said.
Namwamba further disclosed that the Slovakian government will establish a digital resource Centre for teachers to be located at Bulemia shopping Centre.
‘This facility will be available for all teachers in Bunyala Sub County so that as we take computers to schools, teachers already have the skills to handle the gadgets,’ he said.
By Salome Alwanda
