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Kenyan development not-for-profit organisation South-South Dialogues held the first county two-day training workshop on “Digital Awareness for Self-Sustainability” at the Karundas Catholic Vocational Training Centre in Kiganjo, Nyeri from May 20 to 21, 2022. The trainings aim to empower out-of-school youth in technical and vocational education and training centres countrywide with practical and wide ranging digital/information communication technology skills for self-employment. About two hundred participants attended the training. The workshop was implemented with the kind assistance of the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Nairobi as part of its people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

In his speech when opening the forum, South-South Dialogues executive director Ndegwa said that developing countries should explore broader cooperation among themselves in new business platforms such as digital economy, smart city and 5G.

“Major countries like China are supporting African countries in applying digital technologies in transportation, medical care, finance and other livelihood areas, building “smart cities” and leveraging digital technologies to strengthen state governance and control COVID-19,” he noted.

About 200 participants from Nyeri county attended the two-day training. The programme is targeted at providing over 5000 high potential but disadvantaged young people within 47 counties in Kenya with digital soft skills training relevant for digital jobs and connecting them to relevant job opportunities.

“We live in a digital era and this is a huge advantage. Digital literacy and skills are essential and should no longer be ignored. These skills should be constantly developed hand-in-hand with the digital infrastructure. This is the only way that investment in technology will prove to be efficient,” Ndegwa noted.

E-commerce platforms and new forms of digital paid employment such as cloud working will increase incomes and financial independence. This is important for the youth but also has advantages for society as a whole. Topics covered during the training included e-commerce, innovation, cyber security and digital integrity, and creating an online presence.

ENDS