The Ajira Digital Program together with its strategic partner, the Mastercard Foundation, and the implementing partners, the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and eMobilis, is participating as a sponsor at the #ConnectedSummit 2023 happening at Diamond Leisure Beach Lodge in Diani. The Summit’s theme is Digital Economy: "Endless Opportunities Shaping Our Future" where there are discussions on different issues including Digital Trade and Services which explored the eCommerce and integration of the African Free Continental Trade Area (AfCTA); the Future of work in the Digital Economy that discussed on technology, talent, and training; the Economy of Tomorrow discussing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution; Women shaping the digital economy; among other such digital economy topical issues. The Summit has an attendance of regional and global ICT industry leaders, policymakers, executives, financiers, and innovators.

Here are key takeout from the Summit’s speakers and sessions panelists:

“Digitalization of society is an important agenda that curves our place in the global village.  The government is committed to supporting the digital transformation of the country which will only be achieved through the creation of a domain that is able and willing to bring together the government, private sector, and general public to adopt and adapt sustainable technological innovations to stimulate job creation, poverty reduction and enhance inclusion. The technologies being introduced should catalyze growth, offer sustainable solutions to humanity, broaden equity, and enhance equality”- Hon. Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya.

“The government through the Ministry of Trade has put in place various strategies in support of trade and corporate success in the digital era. We ensure digital trade conversations at the different platforms and engagements such as the recent discussions with corporates on how to help them trade during the American Chamber of Commerce – Kenya Business Summit. The strategies outlined to achieve this include structuring and management of talents, structuring of businesses, a financing plan, structuring the innovations, and partnerships to ensure we achieve the targeted infrastructure” - Hon. Moses Kuria, Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry.

“Ajira Digital Program currently in implementation and the Jitume Program is about to be rolled out, aims to harness digitization to spur a digital economy and create digital and digitally-enabled work opportunities for young people in Kenya while encouraging digital skills development. These are key programs, especially with the ongoing plans to onboard counties to digitize as well as the planned digitization of 5000 government services by June this year. In addition, we are working on a framework and policy document that encourages the adoption of e-commerce across all economic sectors which will see to increased markets for businesses and consequently the creation of more work opportunities.” – Eliud Owalo, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information Communication and the Digital Economy.

“Africa is our business and that is why the African Free Continental Trade Area was established to enable a continental market. eCommerce now referred to as digital trade has the potential to transform the region. Kenya for instance is the 56^th largest market for eCommerce with a predicted revenue of US$3,237.6 million by 2023, however, the issue of trust among traders is affecting this growth and requires to be addressed. This is where the need for digital platforms to ease the worries of trade and where sellers and buyers can place the responsibility of risk, hence cultivating this very important component of trade called trust. In addition to this there is the need to establish online disputes resolutions mechanism and enhance digital skills among traders” – Francis Ngari, Chair, Digital Business Subcommittee, KEPSA ICT Sector Board.

“Ajira Digital Program’s efforts and achievements are very well aligned to the theme of the Summit as we showcase the endless opportunities shaping our future through the Digital economy. Important to highlight is how the Program has continued to ensure work readiness by the young people in Kenya in this digital transformation era making them competitive enough for global markets. In addition, the Program ensures the provision of the much-needed solutions for Africa trade facilitation while on the other hand opening up work opportunities for the young people and especially women in rural area setups in Kenya” – Dr. Ehud Gachugu, Director Ajira Digital Program and Youth Employment at Kenya Private Sector Alliance.

“The big question is how do we make Kenya a labour destination rivaling India and Philipines in the global digital economy? This calls for making training affordable for young people as well as mentoring them to build their work portfolios which will help them bid for international gigs. It means ensuring the integration of soft skills and technical skills to help them crack these work opportunities and eventually scale up the industry. In addition, it calls for collaboration among the public sector, private sector, training institutions, and other key players to design specific solutions for societies and especially those that ensure gender inclusion. For instance, a young woman in Pokot confirms that if you give her a device at home she might not be able to work since there is a requirement of handling other house chores and the better solution for her is to get her to an empowerment digital hub where she will create time to work” – Anthony Karanja, Partner- Strategy, Planning and Digital Economy- Kenya, Mastercard Foundation.

“With the current report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics where the number of unemployed Kenyans has gone up by 2.94 percent, there is a need for leverage on digital technology to help reduce this unemployment rate. This is first by ensuring the elimination of industry-skills mismatch which Ajira Digital Program facilitates through its recently launched curriculum. The curriculum was advised by key players in the industry including the private and public sectors, tech industries, and policymakers among others. Technology continues to evolve and so does the need for advanced skills to ensure employability and work readiness” – Ken Mwenda, Managing Director, Mobilis Technology.

With the right partnerships, strategies, and resources, Kenya and the region at large are able to create more impact on the livelihoods of people as well as create sustainable solutions for humanity while enhancing equality as called out to the Summit’s participants by the Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya, Hon. Musalia Mudavadi.