- Launched in December last year, the programme has seen over 70,000 young people benefit from the opportunities presented.
- ICT CS Eliud Owalo said the government aim to establish one hub in each of the 1,450 county assembly electoral wards and 290 hubs annually.
Image: FILE
First Lady Rachel Ruto has launched the Jitume Digital Hub at Butere Girls High School.
The First Lady said the digital centre aims at accelerating the process of learners becoming earners by activating digitised and online jobs.
She said the digital sector is one of the leading job creators in the country, especially for the youth.
The First Lady said young people must be equipped with the skills they need to thrive in the job market.
What is Jitume Digital Hub?
Jitume Digital Hub is an Initiative aimed at providing the youth with access to digital services, digital skills, and opportunities to enable them to take advantage of technology for job creation.
The Jitume Digital Hubs under the Jitume Digital Enablement Programme aim to bring the benefits of information and communication technology to underserved areas.
The programme provides digital connectivity, services, products, skills training and digital jobs linkages while unlocking access to jobs for Kenyans in remote areas.
It recognises the importance of bridging the digital divide and ensuring that all communities have real-time access to the resources and opportunities provided by the digital age.
By establishing digital infrastructure, providing training and education, and fostering local innovation, the program aims to empower rural, peri-urban, and urban communities, improve livelihoods, and enhance socio-economic development.
The initiative aims to reduce the current rate of unemployment in Kenya, which stood at 10.4 per cent by 2020.
So far the Jitume Digital Programme has 117 centres, 27,998 users, at least 8, 786-course enrollments and 118 job platforms.
According to Jitume, the program takes care of the main challenges facing the Kenyans regarding digital opportunities.
The challenges range from access to digital devices and internet connectivity to training, and knowledge as well as opportunities that can result in decent and dignified income.
It encourages youths to take it upon themselves Jitume to access digital devices and opportunities to learn, become certified in skills for the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) and access digital jobs.
Konza in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Communications, and The Digital Economy, along with the ICT Authority and the Technical Vocational Education Training Authority, is spearheading the Jitume Digital Enablement Programme across the country.
Launched in December last year, the programme has seen over 70,000 young people benefit from the opportunities presented.
ICT CS Eliud Owalo said the government aim to establish one hub in each of the 1,450 county assembly electoral wards and 290 hubs annually.
He said the Ajira and Jitume programmes are equipping citizens digitally.
In collaboration with technical and vocational training institutes, the government proposes to equip one million learners with ICT skills for digital entrepreneurship.
"We are deploying 23,000 computers in these institutions. Today, 77 vocational entities have received 6,700 desktops while a total of 8,159 virtual desktops have been supplied to institutions," Owalo said.