As Kenya continues to grapple with youth unemployment and a rapidly changing labour market, digital skills are becoming an increasingly important part of the conversation around how young people can access economic opportunities.
This week, 130 young people from informal settlements in Nairobi graduated from a three-month digital-skills programme, receiving training in computer skills, Microsoft Office, internet and networking, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence fundamentals.
The programme used a mobile ICT laboratory equipped with computers, internet connectivity and solar power, bringing digital training directly into communities where access to technology and formal training opportunities can be limited.
The initiative highlights a growing reality for Kenya’s young people: participation in the modern economy increasingly requires some level of digital capability.
But access remains an important part of the challenge.
For young people living in underserved communities, having the interest or ambition to acquire digital skills does not always translate into access to computers, reliable internet, training facilities or mentors who can help turn knowledge into practical opportunities.
The conversation is also expanding beyond basic computer literacy.
Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital entrepreneurship and online work are creating new possibilities while simultaneously changing the skills employers and businesses require.
Earlier this week, the World Bank launched “The Job I Hope For,” an initiative encouraging young people across Africa to reflect on the jobs they aspire to, the skills required to pursue them and the ways technology and artificial intelligence are changing the future of work.
These developments raise a broader question for Kenya: Are we preparing young people only to look for jobs, or are we preparing them to navigate a changing economy?
Digital skills can open doors, but they are most useful when combined with other capabilities — including communication, creativity, problem-solving, adaptability, confidence and the ability to identify opportunities.
For organisations working in human capacity development, this distinction matters.
Training can provide knowledge. Developing capacity requires creating the conditions for people to apply that knowledge.
As Kenya continues investing in digital skills, the challenge ahead will be ensuring that young people do not simply learn how to use technology, but are equipped to use it to create value, solve problems and participate meaningfully in the economy.
Source: Citizen Digital; World Bank.
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