Government committed to ensuring universal broadband availability countrywide

Christine Muchira
2 Min Read

The Government of Kenya will ensure universal broadband availability through the roll-out of connectivity throughout the country over the next 5 years.

According to Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises( MSMEs) Simon Chelungui, government has prioritised the digital superhighway and the creative economy, which will be enablers of transformation, productivity and overall competitiveness.

This the CS says will spur the uptake of ICT services hence not only create job opportunities for individuals in the ICT space but also enable the growth of MSMEs in the ICT sector.

The Digital connectivity will also spur online trade hence expand the market outreach of MSMEs across all sectors especially leveraging on Ecommerce as well as social media.

Speaking during During the Kenya Jobs and Inclusive Growth Forum organised by the World Bank at a Nairobi Hotel, CS Chelungui said the Digital space especially with the massive growth of social media has also created opportunities for income generation through creative content creation.

“This space creates a huge potential for the youth hence the focus by the Government through the Talanta Hela Programme that aims to identify, recruit, nurture, market, and monetise talent.” CS Chelungui said.

Consequently, the CS noted that another key priority for the Government to create more productive and sustainable jobs is in the housing sector particularly on Affordable Housing.
Through the project, CS Chelungui says the Government is targeting to construct 200,000 housing units annually through collaboration between the National government, County Governments and the private sector.
“This project will create jobs annually for skilled personnel (architects, quantity surveyors, plumbers, masons, electricians etc) across the construction sector as well as facilitate the MSME Associations in the Manufacturing sector (commonly refered to as juakali) as suppliers of over 75 products including doors, frames, windows among others to support construction of these units.” He noted.
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