By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Kenya and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) are strengthening cooperation on digital skills,
emerging technologies and youth employment as part of efforts to advance the
country’s digital transformation and innovation agenda.
Principal Secretary for ICT
and the Digital Economy, Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui, held high-level
consultations with UNDP Kenya Resident Representative Jean-Luc Stalon to review
implementation of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and identify opportunities
for expanded collaboration.
The discussions focused on
digital skills development for government officers, capacity building in
emerging technologies and the advancement of the Timbuktoo programme, including
the GreenTech Hub hosted at Konza Technopolis.
A major focus was the
NextGen.Ke Youth Employment Programme, which provides a pathway for young
Kenyans from education and training into employment through structured
six-month private-sector internships.
Under the programme,
certificate, diploma and degree graduates are placed in private-sector
organisations to gain practical workplace experience and strengthen their
employability.
Tanui and Stalon also
explored opportunities to expand NextGen.Ke through artificial intelligence and
digital skills training, with the aim of equipping young people with
future-ready competencies aligned with the changing requirements of the digital
economy and private-sector employers.
The discussions also
considered ways to strengthen collaboration under the existing MoU and
translate it into practical and scalable programmes capable of building
government capacity, supporting innovation and expanding economic opportunities
for young people.
