250 Youths Inducted for Countrywide Deployment in Ajira Digital Programme

Interns listen keenly at the opening of Ajira Digital induction programme at the University of Nairobi, January 27, 2020

Ajira digital Programme aims to have over 1 million youth earning a minimum wage in online work from inception of the programme in September 2018, until its finalization. “To achieve this, the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, has continuously provided skills, training and mentorship to more than 10,000 youths”, Permanent Secretary Ministry of ICT, Jerome Ochieng, highlighted during the official opening of a one-week Ajira digital induction programme at the University of Nairobi held on January 27, 2020.

Ajira digital is an online jobs platform, an initiative by the Government, to enable the youth access online employment opportunities.

By the end of the programme, the Ministry of ICT intends to have 4 Constituency Innovation Hubs, totaling innovation hubs country wide to 1,160. Constituency Innovation Hubs (CIHs) are equipped with free WIFI and digital devices to facilitate the youth carry out online jobs. This one-week induction programme will provide interns with online work skills and mentorship and enable them have tools needed for online work.

250 interns who have been selected from different regions in the country will be deployed in various institutions countrywide for a one-year internship program after the induction at the University of Nairobi that began today and runs through January 31, 2020.

The interns joined the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth and Affairs through the Public Service Commission and will be trained in all Ministry programs and projects.

During the week-long programme, industry players will train on: introduction to Ministry of ICT, Ajira Digital Curriculum, infrastructure and operationalization of CIHs as well as Design Thinking and Branding.

Other topics to be covered include: public service regulations and code of conduct, efficient service delivery, implementation of Government projects, emotional intelligence and soft skills, HIV, drug abuse and stress management, role of private sector in Ajira implementation, freelancing industry in Kenya, E-commerce, entrepreneurship and innovation and Government communication levels and protocols of communication.

Key players during the induction include: ICT Authority, State Department of ICT and Innovation, Ajira Digital Team, National Communications Secretariat, Telkom, eMobilis, Konza Technopolis, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), Ministry of Health, AutoXpress, Strathmore University, OPWORK, Huawei Technoogies and University of Nairobi.

The interns will also have an opportunity to meet Ajira digital graduates and independent freelancers on Thursday, January 30, 2020 from 11am.

The expectation of the interns is to be responsive, prompt and impartial in the discharge of duty once deployed.