The government has unveiled an ambitious plan to potentially generate six million jobs by 2030 through the global framework dubbed JobsConnect Compact.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe spoke at Kilimo House on Wednesday, where he revealed that Kenya was set to become the first country in Africa to finalise the global framework, which focuses on greener, dignified employment opportunities while modernising the agriculture sector.
According to the CS, the initiative consolidates all agricultural digitisation efforts under the Kenya Agriculture Data and Information Centre (KADIC), which will house the full data ecosystem.
The centre will also absorb the Agriculture Information and Resource Centre (AIRC) to minimise duplication and help link farmers to counties, cooperatives and markets.
“Digital agriculture is central to transforming farmer incomes and attracting youth into a modern, tech-driven sector," CS Kagwe said, noting that implementation would focus on youth, farmers, cooperatives and agri-preneurs.
KADIC Director Betty said the Centre will spearhead the rollout of the Digital Agriculture Roadmap (DAR), to be launched next year.
Meanwhile, Juma Salim, Director of Digital at KADIC, added that integrating data from the ministry’s 31 parastatals will ensure farmers receive timely insights on weather, pricing, inputs and market trends.
Overall, the JobsConnect Compact targets several transformative outcomes by 2030, including 5.3 million new and improved jobs.
The framework also aims to achieve a 10 million reduction in food-insecure populations, cut food imports by Ksh389 billion, and increasing agricultural export earnings by over Ksh648 billion (USD 5 billion).
Kagwe reiterated that digital agriculture was the backbone of this transformation, especially at a time when the Ministry faces a major human resource transition.
The Ministry notes that 30 per cent of departmental heads are due to retire, while 20 per cent have already exited, and more than half the agricultural workforce will retire in the next two years.
With this dynamic in mind, Kagwe described the JobsConnect framework as a historic opportunity to rebuild talent through Agri-Connect programmes and agriprenuer training.
