South Eastern Kenya University has been picked to host an innovation and ICT centre of excellence.
The centre, sponsored by the African Development Bank, will be located at the main campus at Kwa Vonza in Kitui county.
The announcement was made by
the bank’s director general for regional development and business delivery Gabriel Negatu.
The nomination of Seku follows a feasibility study by the bank in June this year.
The centre offers
the
Kitui-based university the opportunity to train the youth in information technology, entrepreneurship and business skills.
Negatu’s
letter
to
Seku vice-chancellor Prof Geoffrey Muluvi says
the university has fulfilled a rigorous selection criteria to “lead a revolutionary movement to nurture Africa’s next generation of digitally enabled work force collaborate with the bank.”
Negatu said the project is a flagship initiative under the broader AfDB ‘job for youth in Africa strategy.’
The initiative seeks to empower young people with skills to increase their employability and entrepreneurial success rate.
Seku
will pilot this project in Africa together with Nigeria, Rwanda Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire, according to the AfDB.
Seku will benefit from a fully operational ICT centre of excellence
that will be equipped with new technologies and equipment.
When a team from AFDB
visited in the university in June this year, Prof Muluvi assured them
Seku had adequate infrastructure to host the programme.
“We are well placed to ensure the programme benefits not only the youth in Kitui County, but those of
neighbouring counties of Machakos, Makueni, Kajiado, Taita Taveta and Embu,” said Prof Muluvi.
