By: Kanto
Kai Okanta
The Kenya ICT Action Network
(KICTANet) has commenced a three-day Trainer of Trainers workshop in Nairobi
aimed at equipping 100 women with digital skills they can transfer to other
women in their communities.
The training is being
conducted under the SheConnects EmpowerHer Digital Accelerator, which seeks to
strengthen women’s participation in the digital economy by building their
digital capabilities and confidence.
Speaking at the launch,
KICTANet CEO and Convenor Dr Grace Githaiga urged participants to view their
role beyond that of trainers and become multipliers of digital knowledge within
their communities.
The programme comes against
the backdrop of disparities in internet access and digital skills between urban
and rural populations in Kenya. Urban internet use stands at about 56 percent,
compared with 25 percent of rural residents who access the internet daily.
The programme also
highlights challenges faced by women micro-entrepreneurs, with more than 42
percent reportedly using their mobile phones mainly for personal communication
rather than business activities. The programme attributes this gap partly to
limited digital skills and confidence.
Following the workshop, each
trainer is expected to train approximately 50 women within her community,
potentially extending the Nairobi cohort’s reach to about 5,000 beneficiaries.
The wider EmpowerHer
programme aims to reach 15,000 women across Nairobi, Tana River and Nyandarua
counties.
Githaiga also encouraged the
trainers to help women entrepreneurs improve their financial management
practices by separating business revenue from household expenditure. She cited
Pochi la Biashara as one of the tools that can help small business owners manage
their business finances more effectively.
KICTANet said the initiative
is intended to strengthen women’s digital participation and equip them with
practical skills that can support entrepreneurship, financial management and
greater participation in Kenya’s digital economy.
