Small and Medium Sized Enterprises to gain Digital Skills through a Government Collaboration Initiative.

The Government through the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development (MoITED) is partnering with the private sector to equip traders/entrepreneurs in the SME sector with digital skills to grow their businesses. 

The Digital Program dubbed ‘Future Nii Digital’ targets about 50,000 enterprises and is expected to have started training by the end of 2021. The program will first be rolled out in Nairobi then to other counties as the program unfolds. 

According to MoITED’s Chief Administrative Secretary Lawrence Karanja, the government is focusing on creating employment opportunities by promoting digital technologies and ICT. The Government is expecting to place at least 20,000 youth into employment opportunities by the end of 2021. This initiative is also meant to promote service delivery in businesses. 

The Government has partnered with the Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA), Stanbic Kenya Foundation, Microsoft Kenya and the African Centre for Women, Information and Communications Technology (ACWICT) for the initiative. 

MSEA 

“Our mission is to create an environment that makes our MSE sector globally competitive. Continuous skill improvement is key for survival in today’s dynamic market environment.” MSEA Chief Executive, Henry Rithaa. 

To kickstart the mass training for the entrepreneurs, 192 trainees have already been trained. 

Stanbic Kenya Foundation & Microsoft Kenya

Stanbic Kenya Foundation and Microsoft Kenya have on the other hand developed online platforms where entrepreneurs can access the information they need to learn, grow and scale their businesses. 

“Many enterprises in the country are still struggling to recover from the effects of the global pandemic, and we have seen that having digital skills is key to survival.” Charles Mudiwa Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic Bank Kenya.