Why Digital Skills Training is Becoming an Urgent Priority for Kenya
As Kenya accelerates its digital transformation across government, commerce, and society, the critical shortage of digitally skilled citizens is emerging as a major bottleneck threatening the nation’s economic ambitions. This skills gap has propelled digital literacy from an educational concern to a top-tier national priority, driven by the convergence of three powerful forces: the government’s aggressive digitalization agenda, private sector demand for tech-savvy employees, and the urgent need to create meaningful livelihoods for a massive, tech-native youth population.
The government’s push for a fully digitized public service through platforms like e-Citizen has exposed a stark divide between those who can navigate digital systems and those who cannot. Simultaneously, employers across sectors—from agriculture to finance—increasingly require basic digital competencies even for entry-level positions, leaving those without skills at a severe disadvantage. Perhaps most pressingly, with over 75% of Kenya’s population under 35 and entering the job market, digital skills represent one of the few reliable pathways to employment in an increasingly automated global economy. We are at a pivotal moment, explains Dr. Mary Wambui, an economist at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis. Digital skills are no longer just for IT professionals. They are foundational for citizenship, employability, and entrepreneurship in 21st-century Kenya. Failing to equip our population with these skills risks creating a permanent underclass excluded from the digital economy.
The economic stakes are enormous. The World Bank estimates that comprehensive digital skills development could add up to 2% to Kenya’s annual GDP growth by unlocking productivity and innovation. Conversely, the cost of inaction includes wasted potential, increased inequality, and diminished competitiveness in regional and global markets. The private sector is sounding the alarm, with industry associations reporting that up to 60% of Kenyan businesses struggle to find employees with adequate digital competencies. We are hiring for roles that didn’t exist five years ago, says James Mwangi, CEO of a Nairobi-based logistics company. The mismatch between the skills our education system produces and what the modern workplace needs is becoming a crisis that affects our bottom line.
Looking ahead, Kenya’s approach to prioritizing digital skills will need to be multifaceted and sustained. Success will require not just training programs but also addressing underlying issues like device affordability, internet access, and curriculum modernization in formal education. The goal must be to build a truly inclusive digital society where opportunity is not determined by one’s postcode or background. This is not a short-term project but a long-term national investment in human capital, concludes Dr. Wambui. The countries that will thrive in the coming decades are those that successfully prepare their entire populations for a digital future. Kenya has the technological infrastructure and innovative spirit to lead in Africa, but only if we make digital skills for all an unwavering national priority. The race is on to ensure that Kenya’s digital revolution leaves no one behind.