The Mombasa government targets 30,000 ECDE pupils yearly for training in robotics.
The Department of ICT and Innovation says the move will play a pivotal role in inducting ideas of innovation and critical thinking at an early age.
The county has 104 public early childhood development and education institutions.
ICT chief officer Anwar Ahmed said on Saturday they will also equip the children with the necessary skills to participate in solving global problems.
“We are targeting 30,000 learners aged between four and six years annually in the 104 public ECDE centres spread across the county. So far, six have been equipped, with 98 more to go,” Ahmed said.
He was speaking at Chandaria Hall in Mombasa during an event to award winners of the Covid-19 Innovation Challenge, which was organised by the county in partnership with the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Mombasa campus.
Memon High School was declared the winner of the one-month competition, in which nine secondary schools from Mvita participated. They were followed by Agha Khan, Mombasa, and Sheikh Khalifa.
Ahmed said the ECDE programme will prepare Mombasa as a technology and business hub that will transform generations to come. The programme was launched in February this year.
He also said the county was going to establish a county innovation fund and come up with community-based innovation hubs across the six subcounties of Mombasa that will give innovative youth a platform to nurture and grow their ideas.
“We are currently in talks with the Sheikh Zayed Foundation to build an ICT Park at the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Secondary School in Mombasa. The centre is going to help children from five years to the university level. We are currently waiting for approval from the UAE Ambassador,” he said.
The county has also partnered with JKUAT to start innovation clubs in secondary schools to tap into talents and provide an ecosystem conducive to creativity and innovation.
JKUAT vice chancellor professor Victoria Ngumi said the partnership was a clear illustration of the institution’s interest in regard to the development of the country, adding that the university was open to more partnerships.
“Today, we are celebrating the ingenuity of these students who are rising up to the challenge of the pandemic. The competition is a testament to our commitment as a university to addressing the global challenges,” Ngumi said.
She extended an invite to the top three schools to participate in the Annual JKUAT Tech Expo slated for November 17 and 18, adding that the university was going to assist the schools that participated in the competition to patent their ideas.
Businessman Suleiman Shahbal, an invited guest, promised to facilitate the transportation of students from the schools to attend the expo, donating Sh100,000.
The governor aspirant also promised to create an innovation centre at the Buxton Housing Project for the youth, adding that he will channel a lot of energy into the ICT and Innovation sector if elected governor next year.
“I have a dream for Mombasa, I want to see Mombasa become the ICT centre not only for Kenya but Africa. Mombasa today is where the Internet cables for East Africa starts, it is possible to have our own Konza city, we can achieve this through partnerships with the national government and other development partners,” he said.
-Edited by SKanyara
