This archive report was first published on 2 January 2020.
As the world grapples with the challenges of the digital economy, Kenya is no exception. The country's rapid technological advancements have presented numerous opportunities, but also risks, including massive job disruption.
According to the 20th edition of the Kenya Economic Update, released in 2019, the country must prepare its business and citizens for the digital economy, which is at the heart of economic growth. The report highlights the need for an extensive array of skills to keep pace with emerging market dynamics.
However, Kenya faces a significant digital divide, with only 44% of the urban population having internet access, compared to a mere 17% in rural areas. This gap is exacerbated by a lack of digital skills, which hinders the implementation of digital solutions and limits economic growth.
Despite efforts to address this issue, the digital learning program, which covers 93.4% of public primary schools, fails to incorporate secondary schools, which lag behind in accessing internet connectivity.
Building a digitally savvy workforce offers a unique opportunity for Kenya to mitigate the unemployment crisis. To achieve this, school curriculums at primary and advanced levels must be reviewed and revised to ensure learners are equipped with digital skills.
Investment from the public and government is necessary to facilitate policy measures that will incentivize private entities to invest in digital skills training, particularly for marginalized communities. Students should also be encouraged to pursue STEM courses, and training from the private sector should be facilitated to enable the acquisition of more skills needed to be viable in the future of work.
As the country strives to achieve its vision of becoming a high-income economy by 2030, it is crucial that informal and formal education structures rise up to the challenge of equipping the future workforce with the necessary skills to contend with the evolving expectations of the digital economy.
