Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs Dr. Abraham Korir SingOei, CBS, presided over the graduation ceremony for 221 youth in Trans N’zoia on Friday 21st June, 2024. The youth had undertaken a digital skills course as part of the Huawei DigiTruck initiative bringing close to 5,000 the total number who have been trained in over 30 Counties since 2019.
78 of the youth trained were girls, who, along with the boys, will now be able to study online, find jobs online, trade online, and work online. As the economy becomes ever more digital, such digital skills are critical to a successful career. Meanwhile, research commissioned earlier in the year showed that typically 35% of those trained use the skills to increase their incomes.
During the training 22 teachers also participated in the training, enabling them to use technology better in the classroom to enhance learning and to teach digital skills to their learners in class.
Speaking during the graduation, the Principal Secretary highlighted the importance of such training for the youth and of working with partners: “Education is of great importance and as we continue to construct schools, we shall prioritize the continued teaching and learning of digital skills. Thank you to the Huawei team for accepting to develop the capacity of our young people in digital skills.”
Steven Zhang, Deputy CEO for Public Affairs of Huawei Kenya emphasized the contribution Huawei has made to Kenya in providing ICT infrastructure especially in rural areas whilst also stressing Huawei’s commitment to providing digital skills that are so important: “ICT is the fastest growing part of the economy, and is also critical for all other parts of the economy. Yet, just providing the technology is not enough if people don’t know how to use it; and today I have seen that some of you have been able to take your business online, making use of your skills to do online writing among other jobs, whilst others have been motivated to take up technological courses and programs.”
