Ajira Digital Program

Ajira Digital Program is a government project of Kenya that was launched in 2017 with a goal of empowering youth in digital skills to help them tap in the digital economy.[1]

The program is run by the Ministry of ICT, innovations and Youth Affairs and has since its inception empowered over one million young people to access digital opportunities according to the Ministry. Ajira Digital's key objectives is to; raise the profile of Digital Work in Kenya; promote a mentorship and collaborative learning approach to finding digital work; provide Kenyans with access to digital work and ultimately promote Kenya as a destination for online workers.[2]

As of June 2021, 5 per cent of Kenyans (1.2 million) were working online through the Ajira Digital Programme according to a report released by Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Joe Mucheru.[3] The report also cited that Digital Marketing, Data Entry and Article Writing are top of the jobs that Kenyans are doing online.

The Digital Economy is touted as one of the emerging frontiers that can provide job opportunities for the youth and help Kenya tackle the soaring unemployment rate[4] especially among young people, who make up 75 per cent of the 47.6 million total population in the country according to the 2019 Population and Census results.[5]

The government has been running the Ajira Digital program in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, the Kenya Private Sector Association (KEPSA) and ABSA.[6] The partnership with Absa Bank has seen the financial institution link its job training, scholarship and it’s ReadytoWork internship initiative on the Ajira Digital site.

Training

Through the Ajira digital website, one can apply for a free course on various areas. This include data entry, content writing and transcription skills. The classes are conducted virtually and are therefore flexible and accessible.

There is also an opportunity for trainers to apply for opportunities to share knowledge.

Jobs

The Ajira Digital website also lists online jobs openings. The jobs are categorized as international, public jobs, partner jobs.

Ajira Digital Clubs

The Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs has also, in a bid to reach more youth and expand footprints of the AJIRA Digital Program across the country, been collaborating with learning institutions to install Ajira Digital Clubs. Some of the hubs launched in the counties include the Borabu constituency Ajira Digital ICT Hub and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology hub.[7]

Gig Economy in Kenya

Ajira Digital has been credited for enabling more young people to tap in Kenya's gig economy by empowering them with digital and financial skills.[1] A 2019 study by Mercy Cops; Towards A Digital Workforce: Understanding The Building Blocks Of Kenya's Gig Economy, which sought to analyze the current state and the future outlook of the gig economy in Kenya, recorded that the online gig economy has grown gradually in Kenya and is transforming how Kenyans access work, saying it's enabling young Kenyans access consistent and competitive job opportunities.[8] With the rate of unemployment in Kenya especially among the youth deepening in the wake of COVID-19, the gig economy is providing alternative economic opportunities to a tech savvy generation that is also enjoying the thrilll of the flexibilty that comes with it.

Mercy Cops defines the gig economy in Kenya as a labor market that is characterized by three features: "short-term work, independence of workers and the worker is paid by the task as opposed to those workers who receive a salary or hourly wage".

References
  1. "Ajira Digital Empowering Youth in Digital Skills". The Kenya Forum. 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  2. "Ajira Digital targets to make Kenya a freelancing hub". The Star. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  3. "1.2 Million People Working Online in Kenya". The Kenya Forum. 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  4. "Kenya's unemployment rate doubles as 1.7M lose jobs between April and June-KNBS". Citizen Digital. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  5. "Out of 47.6 million Kenyans, 35.7 million are under the age of 35". Citizen Digital. 2020-02-21. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  6. November 10, 2021, Wednesday (2021-11-09). "Absa, Ajira enter deal to train 1m youth on tech skills in one year". Business Daily. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  7. Abuya, Kenn (2021-11-22). "Ajira Digital Clubs Target More Youth with a Station at Masinde Muliro University". Techweez. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  8. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/Youth_Impact_Labs_Kenya_Gig_Economy_Report_2019_0_0.pdf
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