Private sector players in Kenya are exploring ways to enable refugees in the country to work online and deliver business solutions.
To realise this, the Kenya Private Sector Alliance has partnered with Amahoro Coalition to extend the Ajira Digital Programme to various refugee camps in the country.
According to Ehud Gachugu, Project director, Ajira Digital Programme and Youth Employment at Kepa, the local private sector can do more than just offering of humanitarian aid to the estimated 500,000 refugee population in the country.
It is targetting Kakuma and Daadab refugee camps located in Turkana and Garissa respectively.
''We want to advance their inclusion in the digital workspace; ultimately contributing to employment and economic growth,'' Gachugu said.
He added that the initiative will offer hope to young people bogged down by mobility and access limitations, to explore opportunities beyond the camps.
Ajira Digital Programme has been at the forefront of popularising the local digital economy and improving livelihoods by driving the adoption of digital and online work in Kenya.
The programme offers digital skills training and mentorship free of charge, to ease young people's transition to jobs in the digital space.
“We have a lot of talent waiting to be tapped among the refugee population in Kenya. We have seen many examples of bright but marginalized young people delivering quality work to global clients through online platforms,'' Gachugu said.
The initiative endeavors to make Kenya a digital freelancing hub by engaging the private sector and public sectors to support digitally skilled youth to access quality jobs.
It has to date recorded over 1.9 million Kenyans working online up from about 600,000 in 2020.
The 2022 Ajira Digital National Survey shows that close to nine million Kenyans are aware of online and digital work opportunities.
The study ‘Private Sector Digital Outsourcing Practices in Kenya’, further indicates that 59 per cent of the private sector in Kenya is already outsourcing digital services with another 75 per cent intending to outsource in the future.
