GARISSA, Kenya, Sep 11 – About 1,700 young people from refugee and host communities in Garissa and Turkana are set to receive training in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data analytics under a new digital skills programme.
The 25-week programme is being implemented by Power Learn Project (PLP), the International Labour Organization (ILO), Microsoft and the Garissa County Government, with support from the Netherlands Government under the PROSPECTS Partnership.
Garissa Governor Nathif Jama Adam urged the young people enrolled in the programme to take advantage of the training.
“I encourage all the young people who have successfully enrolled to the Power Learn Project to work hard and do their best so that they can become part of the digital economy. As a county, we recognise that the future of work is increasingly digital. Our young people must have access to the skills and opportunities needed to participate in that future,” he said.
More than 700 young people have already enrolled from over 1,000 applications received in Garissa, with women accounting for 35% of the applicants. Sixteen of the programme’s 37 digital hubs in Garissa and Turkana have started training.
Microsoft is also providing up to 1,000 certification vouchers covering courses including Azure Fundamentals, Azure AI Fundamentals, Power BI Data Analyst and Microsoft 365 Fundamentals.
Power Learn Project Co-Founder and Executive Director Mumbi Ndung’u said the programme was aimed at helping young people access digital jobs and opportunities.
“Talent is universal; access to opportunity is not. Our work with the ILO and Microsoft in Garissa is about correcting that imbalance by building the skills, infrastructure and pathways that allow young people, regardless of geography or circumstance, to compete, create and earn in the global digital economy,” she said.
ILO Kenya Chief Technical Advisor Caroline Njuki said, “Digital transformation is reshaping labour markets faster than policy can keep pace. For refugee-hosting communities, the risk isn’t being left behind, it’s being excluded altogether from the opportunities now defining economic participation.”
