ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has called on the youth to take advantage of the digital space to create jobs.
Mucheru on Saturday advised them to come together, form "tech chamas" and build their own e-businesses. He urged them to emulate players in other sectors such as the boda boda riders who have formed a cooperative society and are marshalling resources aimed at starting mega projects.
The CS said the government is improving Internet connectivity across the country as a way of creating an environment conducive to e-commerce. He said the youth should take advantage of the infrastructure to create livelihoods and improve their lives.
The government has been equipping young people with digital skills to enable them to tap into the unlimited opportunities available in the digital world. It has been working with Huawei Technologies to providing connectivity such as laying of fibre, data centres, providing the infrastructure required even by mobile network operators and training young people in online work.
Mucheru spoke when presided over the graduation of 100 youths trained in digital literacy by the State Department of Youth Affairs in conjunction with Huawei at Karundas Primary School in Chaka, Nyeri.
“These lessons that you are learning here are very valuable. During this time of Covid-19, many digital companies have grown to more than double. Companies like Apple are now worth $2.3 trillion,” he said.
Mucheru said the Covid-19 crisis has reshaped how the world works by normalising remote work as millions of people started working from home during lockdowns.
He lauded Dedan Kimathi University for manufacturing semiconductors for export.
“The Dedan Kimathi University of Technology has already started manufacturing semiconductors and we are going to start exporting that to America from next year,” he said.
The CS cautioned the youth against misusing technology by going online and insulting others but instead advised them to use it to build and grow an economy that will move the country forward.
“Let us build Kenya together. Let us use social media for better and not for worse,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga who said what young people do on social media will come to haunt them in future, especially when looking for jobs, as the Internet never forgets.
Kahiga urged the trainees to put what they learnt into practice. Also present were Nyeri assembly speaker John Kaguchia, county commissioner Loyford Kibaara and Kieni MP Kanini Kega.
