THE FUTURE IS YOUTH: Challenges and Opportunities for the Kenyan Youth

THE FUTURE IS YOUTH: Challenges and Opportunities for the Kenyan Youth

Kenya is a youthful country. The 2019’s population and census results by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics indicate that 75% of the 47.6 million population is under the age of 35. 13,777,600 (29%) of this population constitutes youth aged 18-34 years. The census report also records that over 70% of the unemployed population comprises youth. Predictions by the National Council for Population and Development show that the population of youth in Kenya is likely to increase to 22.3 million. This means that there will be more young people entering the job market, and considering the existing limited employment opportunities a surge in youth unemployment is expected.

Effects of the growing unemployment rate

The growing youth unemployment levels, majorly attributed to youth’s economic exclusion, has serious implications on their inability to gain financial autonomy which affects their dignity and ability to meet their everyday needs. Statistics by the World Bank record that the average household income could increase if more good quality jobs are made available for the 1 million youth joining the labor force annually. Kenya will need to boost both formal quality job creation and informal sector productivity to generate sufficient quality jobs if it is to accommodate the increasing numbers of labor market entrants.

Challenges and opportunities presented by Covid-19

COVID-19 led to many people losing their jobs as many companies were forced to either shut down or cut back their operations. Whilst the pandemic has affected people across all demographics, the youth were disproportionately at greater economic risk. The International Labor Organization found that more than one in six young people lost their jobs since the beginning of the global health crisis. This worsened the existing vulnerabilities of youth in relation to work by disrupting their plans for education and training, delaying their transition to the job market. The silver lining in the pandemic is that it showed us how impactful the digital space can be in our economic recovery.

The pandemic unlocked a myriad of opportunities in the digital space for young Kenyans who now depend on technology for their livelihoods. Most young people have benefitted in areas of logistics, e-commerce, farming and the creative sector. A survey carried out by Ohala and Caribou digital with the support of the Mastercard Foundation in 2021 indicated that Kenyan youth are making ends meet through various digital money generation opportunities provided by Facebook, Instagram, Google, Uber, Bolt, Sendy, Jumia and Kilimall in a period characterized by massive job losses in the country.

Emergence of the digital economy

The digital space in Kenya has been a source of opportunities for the youth, but it also comes with its own set of challenges; including lack of access to digital devices and internet connectivity, lack of digital skills, cyber security threats, online harassment and cyberbullying, lack of trust in online transactions and the digital divide. A study shows that Mpesa tops the list of mobile money transfer applications that have greatly contributed to the country’s economy. However, these long strides in the move towards a fully-fledged digital economy are not reflected in the digital technology workforce with regards to gender balance. The Institute of Economic Affairs-Kenya notes that while digital technology careers are highly touted as the jobs of the future, only 35% of women use advanced digital services compared to 54% of men. This is attributed mostly to social norms, inadequate infrastructure, education divide, geographical location, lack of technical skills and the huge cost of the internet. The conclusion here is that young women are part of the population that is less likely to benefit from digital growth thus triggering the need for more gender targeting policies to enable the spread of new online resources and information essential for inclusive development.

The increasing digital divide

The Kenya Economic Update: “Securing Future Growth,” highlights that Kenya faces a significant digital divide, with only 44% of the urban population having access to the internet compared to 17% in rural areas. Moreover, widespread gaps in basic digital skills still limit wider usage and application of digital tools, and services and gaps in advanced digital skills limit business development. While 93.4% of public primary schools are now covered by the Digital Learning Program, secondary schools still lag in access to connectivity, and the curriculum currently fails to offer digital skills as a stand-alone compulsory course.

DOT Kenya is enhancing an inclusive digital economy

It is against this backdrop that Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) Kenya, through the Daring to Shift project supported by Global Affairs Canada, equips participants with digital skills training. DOT Kenya is giving youth valuable experience in teaching and coaching, while also contributing to a stronger technology and social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kenya. The program is enabling young women and men to not only gain skills and self-confidence but also acquire knowledge that inspires them to create and apply digital solutions that positively impact their communities. Additionally, DOT Kenya provides Kenyan youth with digital business skills, financial literacy, work-readiness skills and is committed towards bridging the digital divide by ensuring that 70% of its beneficiaries are young women. Over the past 20 years, DOT Kenya has witnessed the intriguing ways in which young people use technology to start and scale businesses, learn new skills, and make a difference in society.

Bridging the digital divide: role of the government

Kenya has seen its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector grow an average of 10.8% annually since 2016, becoming a significant source of economic development and job creation with spillover effects in almost every sector of the economy. In order to accelerate the ICT sector for a dynamic and inclusive digital economy, there is a need to build strong digital foundations which will be critical to the country’s long-term success in harnessing the potential of the digital economy, while ensuring that no one is left behind. The government ought to address the gender digital divide by ensuring that both young women and men have unrestricted access to the internet. More attention should be given to young women in marginalized areas if we are to reap the benefits of the digital economy. This will take public investment and progressive policy measures to encourage private sector investment and services innovation to serve these hard-to-reach consumers. There needs to be development of the ICT infrastructure, enabling policies, legislative and institutional frameworks that emphasize the importance of technology and innovation in achieving Kenya’s development goals as well as to create an enabling environment for all citizens and stakeholders to become more prosperous participants in the digital economy.

Role of youth and youth-led organizations

On the other hand, youth serving organizations can help in bridging the digital gap by providing access to digital technologies and training on how to use them. They can also support in developing policies that promote digital inclusion and advocate for the rights of marginalized groups who may lack access to digital technologies.

The future is tech driven and in the words of Jose Rizal, “The youth is the hope of our future.” The youth have a significant role to play in ensuring that Kenya is ready for a tech driven future by raising awareness on the digital divide and combating stereotypes through more empowering images of youth, especially young women including those living with disabilities. They are also expected to identify and amend exclusionary policies and systems. In addition, they can help address barriers to inclusion specific to rural and marginalized communities by proposing various solutions considering that they are the most innovative population in Kenya. Being young is, ultimately, facing challenges and creating or recreating a space for inclusive development. It means turning problems into opportunities, solutions and being the driving force of society.

Brigid Siantei Kashoi