Ruto visits DigiTruck to discuss digital skills, grassroots innovation

President William Ruto has lauded the DigiTruck Programme for promoting grassroots innovation.

The President said that the programme is a bottom-up intervention to promote development.

He spoke on Monday during the opening of the Kenya Innovation Week dubbed Commonwealth Edition.

"I also appreciate the work that Huawei Technologies continues to do in building digital skills and promoting innovations throughout the country from the grassroots," Ruto said.

"The DigiTruck programme promotes the development of sound innovative capacity through the provision of technology, the internet and mentorship."

Ruto met Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland and spoke with six grassroots innovators in the DigiTruck—a project of Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative.

The President spoke to a passionate supporter of innovation Mohamed Suleiman from Mombasa.

Suleiman, after receiving 40 hours of training on digital skills in March 2022, and with a tablet provided by Huawei after winning the DigiTruck Innovation Award in Mombasa, began teaching other youth digital skills for a small fee.

The youths used skills gained to earn money and Mohamed’s business grew where he was able to purchase a motorbike and set up a delivery business.

The DigiTruck provides digital skills in rural areas, enabling youth to use computers and the internet to study online, work online, trade online and be safe online.

It is part of Huawei’s global TECH4ALL digital inclusion initiative and action plan.

The DigiTruck Innovation Award selects the best three business ideas that the trained youth come up with on how to use their digital skills to improve their community.

It is a partnership between Huawei, the Ministry of Youth, Creative Economy and Sports through the Kenya National Innovation Agency and National Youth Council, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy through the ICT Authority as well as Safaricom, Computers for Schools Kenya, National Government Affirmative Action Fund and Close the Gap.