Last Friday at the State House in Nairobi, the president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, announced the addition of coding as a subject into its primary and secondary schools curricula. This new development makes Kenya the first country in Africa to approve coding as a subject of study in the 2 early schools.
“I applaud the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development for leading our nation to this landmark achievement, by implementing coding as a critical skill within our new Competency Based Curriculum,” President Kenyatta said at the event.
The President also launched the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2022 which provides strategic interventions in addressing national cybersecurity challenges in Kenya. The Kenya National Digital Master Plan which will run till 2032 was also inaugurated.
With all these digital roll-outs, the president, whose tenure comes to an end in a few weeks, is optimistic about the impact the National Digital Master Plan would have on the country. He believes the plan will establish the country’s leadership in ICT by fostering the growth of ICT-related businesses and creating an enabling policy, legal and regulatory environment for the greater adoption of e-governance.
“This, no doubt, will enhance employment creation, enable and scale up ICT innovation and the development of a dynamic and robust ICT sector that will enhance the growth of all sectors of our economy. The master plan also guides investors while planning their investment priorities,” President Kenyatta said.
The digital master plan’s target of establishing over 20,000 village digital hubs across the country will enable the government to employ an additional 40,000 youth directly to run the centers and train interested citizens.
Kenya continues to maintain its place as one of the hotbeds for digital innovation on the continent. This new initiative reflects an ambition to reimagine education and a solid dedication to building the future. And as it seems both the private and public sectors are aligned with this vision. Just this year alone, Microsoft, Visa, and Google have opened their first development centers in the country’s capital.
