Kenya engages ILO on digital jobs creation

from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – KENYA and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) are exploring strategies to expand the country’s digital jobs ecosystem.

A meeting in the capital, Nairobi, between government officials and representatives of the ILO in the East African nation has kick-started the process.

John Tanui, Kenya’s Principal Secretary: State Department for Information and Communications Technology and Digital Economy, on Tuesday met an ILO delegation led by Caroline Injuki, the ILO regional Chief Technical Advisor.

Mary Kerema, Secretary for Digital Economy and E-Government in the portfolio, also participated.

Tanui said the discussions focused on developing a Digital Job Creation Strategy, fair labour policies, digital skills guidelines and capacity-building programmes.

“We are also engaging digital platforms to enhance monetization for Kenyan content developers,” he said.

The current government, which came into power in 2022, is prioritising the creation of digital jobs to curb youth unemployment.

Unemployment is partly blamed for the deadly riots rocking East Africa’s
second largest economy.

The government reports that over the last year, it has created 139 000 digital jobs.

A United Nations agency, ILO is furthering conversations about the digital economy under the aegis of the Social Dialogue Platforms and the Community of Practice on Digital Skills and Jobs in Kenya.

Injuki said the organisation was looking forward to continued collaboration with decent jobs and thriving enterprises in the digital economy of the country.

ILO supported Kenya’s second Skill Up Expo and Conference this week, to recognise the role of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.

– CAJ News