The government is riding on increased expansion of digital skills pool through collaboration with the private sector to cut the country’s over reliance on imported solutions.
Speaking when he presided over graduation of 263 students who underwent three months training programme on various digital skills, Industry Principal Secretary Dr Juma Mukhwana said development of homegrown technological solutions will be key in supporting the country in its quest to tackle challenges such as cybercrime.
“We are buying a lot of software from other people. We are buying networking, computing and cybercrime software. All these we pay subscriptions. So let us look for solutions, don’t’ spend your time on the internet abusing others, spend time looking for how to make money in that space,” said Mukhwana.
Through the Ksh 6.5 billion ($50m)Rapid Tech Skills initiative funded by the Government of Kenya and the World Bank and implemented by Spineberg and E4Impact, the selected students were equipped with in-demand skills in artificial intelligence, cyber security, software engineering, data science, soft skills, and entrepreneurship.
“This government has prioritized the area of the digital economy and that is why we are building Konza City where we are doing cloud computing and cloud storage. We want you to have the skills,” added Mukhwana.
The training is part of the Kenya Industry and Entrepreneurship Project (KIEP) Strengthening Kenya’s Innovation Ecosystem (SKIES) project running from 2018 to 2025.
According to World Bank representative Sameer Goyal, skills and workforce demands must proactively adapt with the skills needs of the future business.
“You are very well equipped to support the businesses in your country. The development of skills set particularly digital tech skills can contribute to structural transformation and economic growth by enhancing employability as well as improving labour which can help firms to become more competitive domestically as well as internationally,” said Goyal.
