The Kenyan Government embarked on an ambitious plan to launch 1,450 digital hubs across all wards in the country.
The new development was announced by Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, Eliud Owalo, on Monday, February 20, when he toured the Studio Mashinani project in Kisumu County.
The ICT CS announced that the plan will be achieved through a public-private partnership agreement.
“Apart from the free public Wi-Fi the government is currently providing, we will be setting up 1,450 digital hubs at the lowest administrative units within the wards.
“It will be a space where the youth will get trained, get the requisite ICT skills and after graduation, we match them with job opportunities in the tech industry,” he explained.
Kenyans willing to study for the courses will not pay the fee as the government has devised an elaborate plan to finance it.
According to Owalo, the government will fund 52 per cent of the project while the private sector will take care of the other 48 per cent.
What is Studio Mashinani
Studio Mashinani is a government project under Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) that lets artists across the country record music for free.
Already, the government has five operational studios in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kitui, Gatanga and Kisumu counties.
Four others are under construction in Kisii, Kakamega, Eldoret and Garissa counties.
“Studio Mashinani helps tap into the untapped creative talent because we have a number of youths with potential but who do not have access to finances for purposes of recording,” the CS explained the importance of the project.
Owalo further announced that the government would revamp KBC to make it one of the top media outlets in the country.
“We are going to do a job evaluation and give our staff a salary that is not only internally equitable but also externally competitive,” he explained.
