Nairobi County Partners with Safaricom to Train Children in Technology
The Digital Economy and Startups department of Nairobi County, in partnership with Safaricom and the Women in Technology Programme, organized a week-long coding exercise for children at Makadara Library. The event was led by Chief Officer Victor Agolla and was attended by 100 children of various ages.
According to Mr. Agolla, the County is focused on building the technology capacity of children between the ages of 8 and 16, as well as youth aged 17 to 35, as part of its plans under the CIDP 2023-2027.
He emphasized the need to establish a sustainable public-private partnership model that ensures children are trained in the long run to allow them to benefit economically from technology.
Mr. Agolla challenged the Safaricom team to support the County in establishing a video gaming center at Makadara library that will support kids to code training programs, income for youth training kids, revenue for gaming startups, and innovative product offerings for corporates.
County Director for e-Learning, Elizabeth Ndung’u, underscored the benefits of coding, noting that it is crucial for critical thinking and problem-solving.
Participating in the session was a gaming startup called Rubiks Digital (PlayOn), which specializes in developing local games such as Ajua and Kadi. PlayOn allowed the children to play and appreciate the potential economic benefit of developing video games through a live demo of their platform.
Safaricom was represented by Dianah Nyomenda Ogeto, Fixed Data Delivery Lead and Digital IT, who stated that Safaricom, through the Women in Technology-Kids in Tech program, was looking forward to continuing its partnership with Nairobi County in supporting the kids to code program by expanding across the County.
In addition to equipping children for future jobs, coding creates unexpected opportunities that promote creative thinking and a “learn by doing” maker culture. The event was attended by Assistant Director Library, Jacob Ananda, Safaricom staff, and several mentors.
Nairobi County Partners with Safaricom to Train Children in Technology
