149K youths got digital literacy program jobs in a year – Owalo

The digital literacy program has created 149,000 jobs for youth over the past one year, ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has said.

Owalo said so far, 490,000 youths have been trained on digital skills through the programme in efforts aimed at addressing the rising unemployment in the country.

To upscale the programme, he noted that they target to train two million youths annually to equip them with the requisite skills and knowledge to secure jobs online both locally and globally.

"This programme seeks to enhance digital literacy and create employment for the youth," he said.

Owalo was speaking on Tuesday during the Vision 2030 Medium Term IV dissemination meeting in Kisumu.

The CS said they are going the full length to ensure they digitalise all government services and records and enhance the levels of digital skills across the country.

"This is going to be a big gamechanger for our youths who stand to be connected to global technical companies for online jobs,” Owalo said.

He further stated that his ministry was rolling out digital hubs in every ward across the country to ensure as many youths as possible have access to digital training and get the opportunity for online jobs.

"The digital hubs are expected to train up to 1,500 youths annually and this is one way we believe will look sort out the unemployment problem,” he said.

Owalo further said the government was also scaling up internet connectivity to ensure the hubs are connected.

He noted that 25,000 market centres were earmarked for internet connectivity and public Wifi to enhance access to online jobs and trade under the project.

This includes schools, health facilities, police stations and homes.

The government, he said, targets to lay 100,000km of fibre optic cable to scale up internet connectivity.

Owalo revealed that the government had changed the fibre connection model from using underground tunnels to electricity transmission lines as a cost cutting measure as well to improve efficiency.

"Using the previous model the government was spending about Sh2.3 million per 1km of fibre optic cable but the new model will take about Sh300,000", he said, adding that the shift was set to lower the costs involved and at the same time reduce the time spent to fix the cable.

Owalo further disclosed that the government has signed a contract with Kenya Power to lay the fibre optic cable on the power transmission lines to achieve the target which is to have high speed internet in all corners of the country.