The Future Ni Digital program has officially kicked off in Nairobi. The initiative aims to equip over 50,000 owners of Micro Small Enterprises (MSEs) with the relevant digital skills by the end of this year, with a target to be expanded to multiple counties across the country.
Partners of the digital program include
- Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development (MoITED)
- Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA)
- Stanbic Kenya Foundation
- Microsoft Philanthropies
- African Center for Women, Information and Communications Technology (ACWICT)
Speaking at the Kariobangi Center of Excellence during the start of the training, the CAS MoITED, Mr. Lawrence Karanja applauded the partners for supporting the government in its efforts to promote digital technologies and ICT. The CAS added that these efforts are a way of creating employment opportunities and improving on public service delivery. The program expects to place 2,000 youth into employment by the end of 2021.
Speaking during the event, the CEO of MSEA, Mr. Henry Rithaa said, “Our mission is to create an environment that makes our MSE sector globally competitive, and we are honoured to partner with such noble stakeholders who are appreciative and aligned to meeting this National goal. Continuous skill improvement is key for survival in today’s dynamic market environment, that is why we have come together to address the knowledge and skill gaps in digital literacy that will benefit 50,000 MSEs.”
The Future Ni Digital initiative will offer online digital entrepreneurial skills to assist these MSEs to expand and grow their businesses in the dynamic digital market. As part of this, 192 trainers have already undergone the requisite training in a bid to kick off the mass training of the entrepreneurs. Stanbic Kenya Foundation and Microsoft Kenya have also deployed an online learning platform to enable learners to access content and further develop their skills.
The trainers are drawn from the Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA), the Kenya Industrial Business Training, Uasin Gishu and Nakuru counties as well as County Industrial Development Officers from around the country. In total, over 1,000 trainers from different government agencies will be trained to become instructors who will then engage with the various MSE’s and upskill them on how to leverage on online and digital platforms to grow their businesses.
The Stanbic Kenya Foundation donated ten laptop computers to the MSEA Training Center at Kariobangi and are set to donate a total of 400 computers to the other training centers across the country.
ACWICT, the implementing partners of the digital program developed the curriculum for the trainings and are currently rolling out the training sessions with the MSEA members.