Software developers could soon be readily available across Kenya after the Ministry of Education partnered with Google to develop an Android Developer Skills masterplan for use in Technical, Vocational, and Educational Institutions (TVETs).
The 6-month initiative will see 300 TVET tutors trained thereby bringing intermediate level skills in development of Android applications to 10,000 students in 50 institutions.
Speaking at the TVET Developer Training Launch Ceremony at the Kenya Technical Training College (KTTC), Prof. George Magoha, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education said, “collaborations between governments and tech companies can drive digital transformation by growing the tech talent pipeline. Kenya is increasingly a place where innovation begins as developer communities across Kenya grow the developer ecosystem and drive creativity and entrepreneurship. Opening up a pathway for developer training through the TVET establishment has the potential to accelerate this growth, create new jobs and drive even greater innovation.”
Mr Charles Murito, Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa- Google said the collaboration has the potential to further elevate Kenya’s position as a leading tech start-up and innovation destination in Africa.
“It underlines our work in supporting Kenya’s developer and startup ecosystem over the past decade, in which we have trained 15k developers, helped hundreds of thousands affordably access the internet, trained them in other digital skills and invested in Kenyan startups,” said Mr Murito.
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There are 60,000 professional developers in Kenya, representing 9 percent of total for Africa.
Some of these developers obtained software skills training from universities while others are self-taught developers. Recent developer research shows that post pandemic, tech talent opportunities in the global economy have increased by 3.8 percent with demand for African developers from fintech, e-commerce, media and entertainment, health-tech, e-mobility, B2B logistics reaching new heights.
This shows that the tech sector offers many opportunities for Kenya’s economy to recover from the COVID-19 economic downturn. Increased Internet penetration in fast growing African economies such as Kenya’s has the potential to create new jobs and increase GDP per capita.
A 10 percent increase in mobile Internet penetration increases GDP per capita by 2.5 percent in Africa, compared with 2 percent globally.
KTTC will serve as the Software Developer Hub with each participating TVET creating student developer clubs. Kenya has 116 TVET institutions in the Ministry of Education, 130 institutions in other line ministries, over 800 vocational training centres managed by County Governments, and over 700 private institutions countrywide. In 2021, TVETs admitted 137,072 students, compared to 134,690 who enrolled in University.
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