By Henry Kimoli
The youth need to assign specific goals to their ambitions in order to execute them. CAS Nadia Abdalla of the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth affairs said the government has put in place the infrastructure for youth to eke out a living and said it was now time for action.
Nadia, the youngest CAS at the age of 29 years says the youth must begin from somewhere. “You can’t drive a V8 from doing nothing. There is no magic in success…only hard work”, she said. She was speaking during the launch of the Studio Machinani project in Kitui, Nadia urged the youth to seize the opportunities. “We the youth have been doled with opportunities by the Government. We need to grab the opportunities and run away with them”, she said.
Nadia said among Ajira Program, the Kazi Mtaani programs were opportunities that the Government has put in place.
Nadia said the Studio Machinani project, being rolled out by the Government are all part of the talent programs being rolled out by the Government. So far, the 5 projects in Komarocks, Mombasa, Kisumu, Gatanga, and Karen have been rolled out.
She said the youth must now stop wasting time playing pool, chewing Miraa, and other unproductive habits. “President Uhuru Kenyatta genuinely loves the youth. Let us reciprocate by pursuing our talents, not unrealistic dreams”; she said.
The studio which will comprise state-of-the-art equipment will see the youth create high-quality audio recordings of their songs, commercials, and jingles.
The Studio Mashinani project aims at reaching the youth at the grassroots level in a bid to exploit their talent and creativity. The studio will also lift the financial burden from artists since the production and publicity of their work will be done at a free charge. Nadia said Kenya’s music industry is worth over $112million adding that the project is a way of supporting the growth of the industry.
The CAS revealed that the studio in Kitui will be among the first audio-visual government studios which will make the music more appealing. “This studio, together with another one to be constructed in Gatanga, will be the first audio-visual studios which will add a video component to the music being produced.” She said. Abdalla urged the artists to create music that promotes moral values in the society as a way of curbing societal vices as well as fully maximize the use of studio equipment provided in the facility.
She assured that the government will continue making interventions to ensure the creatives industry continues to develop even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ICT Ministry has been implementing the project in conjunction with Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation(KBC) which been setting up studios. The national broadcaster will also air the content produced by artists in these studios in various stations.
