Youth have been among the most affected group in terms of the rising unemployment running rampant in Kenya. To tackle this growing concern, a partnership between Family Group Foundation and Adanian Labs Africa have been helping the lot in terms of software development training.
After already supporting 100 youth in animation, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology training in 2021, the partnership has successfully seen another group of 250 youth successfully complete their training and gain digital skills in software development that will be an added advantage in the current job market. The training targeted youth between the ages of 18 and 25 years, who benefitted from a co-investment of Sh10 million from both partners.
The training, which is focused on digital skills, software development, AI and Blockchain, gives beneficiaries a foundation for innovation and entrepreneurship through which they can develop innovative solutions to local and global problems. The programme has also empowered the youth to leverage on technology to contribute to economic development, develop problem- solving skills and foster a culture of continuous learning as technology is always evolving.
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“This partnership seeks to instil entrepreneurship and growth mind-set to create the next generation of innovators and creators and promote resilience of our youth to transform dreams as we create a safe, secure and inclusive digital future for the African continent,” said Family Bank CEO Designate Nancy Njau.
A 2021 study by UNESCO indicates that 50% to 55% of jobs in Kenya will rely on digital skills by 2039, up from 25% to 30% in 2019. However, Kenya lacks the sufficient high-level digital skills needed to contribute to the digital eco-system which has held back Kenya’s digital transformation journey.
The government has been at the forefront of trying to bridge the skills gap by investing in the digital economy to create more opportunities for youth. The Government has invested Sh132 million for 2022-2023 financial year to scale up ICT infrastructure and promote service delivery and through the ICT Authority launched a programme to train 20 million Kenyans in digital skills and the Presidential Digital Talent programme.
“The rate of unemployment is high across Africa. To trade better and grow the economy of Kenya, we have to train qualitative skillsets to drive social capital and grow the economy. The youth have dreams and this is an opportunity to better our continent. We face many challenges but what we can do is to change our own ecosystem one at a time,” said Adanian Labs CEO John Kamara.
This programme seeks to help the youth to foster a start-up culture as witnessed through tech solutions in agri-business, real estate, financial and health sectors. The graduates will also receive mentorship and start-up incubation support as they join the market as new innovators.
This brings the total number of youth who have successfully completed this training and launched successful careers and start-ups and contributed to various tech projects to 340.
The graduation came during the Kenya Innovation Week Commonwealth Edition that ran from November 27 to December 1, 2023 and brought together different stakeholders to celebrate the innovative spirit of Kenyans.
