Youth in Mbooni, Makueni County are set to enhance their digital skills as the government rolls out Jitume Digital labs at the David Mbithi Wambuli Technical and Vocational College.
“We expect that by providing this facility the youth of Mbooni will upscale their digital knowledge and take advantage of the digital economy we are creating,” Eliud Owalo, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and Digital Economy said today.
The Jitume Digital Enablement Program is a national government digital initiative aimed at equipping at least one million youths with skills and necessary infrastructure to enable them to take part in the digital economy and create the millions of jobs President Ruto promised hustlers. It encourages the youth to take it upon themselves to access digital devices to learn and be certified in digital skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The government plans to install 23,000 Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs) in over 200 Jitume Hubs spread across the country. So far 42 Jitume Labs have been launched since the kick-off of the program in December 2022.
“We have installed 100 VDIs, and connected them to the internet to enable users to enhance their digital skills which we expect will make them join the digital economy, create jobs, and earn a decent income,” John Paul Okwiri, CEO of Konza Technopolis said.
In addition, the government is also launching public Wi-Fi spots, extending the fiber optic cable infrastructure by 1,000 kilometers to enhance connectivity.
“The government has doubled down on enhancing internet access to buttress the bet on ICT to transform the economy with the target of youth joining the digital fray to tap into the new jobs and careers that did not exist ten years ago such as transcription, editing, photography, blogging, professional online training, software as a service, artistic performance and many others,” Owalo said.
