Ajira Digital Program

In 2016, The Government of Kenya through the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs developed and established the Ajira Digital Program to bridge the gap between skills demand and lack of jobs. The program aims to introduce young people to digital and digitally-enabled work and provide the tools, training and mentorship needed for young people to work and earn an income with dignity. The program vision is to position Kenya as a choice labour destination for multinational companies as well as encourage local companies and public sector to create digital work and thus catapult Kenya onto the Global map, recognized as a Freelance hub by 2022. The existing local ecosystem has demonstrated that there are four key challenges that need to be addressed to create a sustainable ecosystem and to enable Kenyans to take advantage of the ‘future of work’ (gig economy). The program is therefore structured into 4 key pillars, which address the identified challenges and anchor all our program activities countrywide. These are: 1. Access to dignified work - Catalyze the demand side locally, regionally and internationally 2. Access to Infrastructure - Empowerment through availability of work & training spaces; 3. Training & Mentorship - work readiness and guidance for the dynamic, always changing ecosystem; 4. Awareness - Build Trust and Confidence; Vision: Kenya recognized globally as the leading freelancing hub by 2022 Mission: 1M Kenyan youth earning a decent wage from digital and digitally-enabled jobs annually The guiding principles of the Ajira Digital Program are: Private sector first: value generation through the private sector Sustainability: orchestration of the ecosystem to self-regulate and grow organically Eliminate brokers: generation of more value to the citizen Promote the domestic economy: realization of a knowledge economy