The UK-funded initiative, the UK Digital Access Programme (DAP) is making strides in bridging the digital divide in Busia County, empowering marginalised communities with essential digital literacy and skills.
The “Strengthening Digital Communities” project, implemented by KICTANet and funded by the British High Commission, has already reached 350,000 citizens in the county, equipping them with the tools to navigate the digital world and improve their livelihoods.
The project focuses on reaching marginalized groups, including women, youth, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities, ensuring that they are not left behind in the digital age.
Through a network of community digital champions (CDCs), the project delivers Foundational Digital Skills training in areas such as agribusiness, accessing government services, and utilising online platforms.
Key Achievements and Impact
- Extensive Reach: 350,000 citizens of Busia County have received foundational digital literacy skills training.
- Community Empowerment: 4,000 community digital champions (CDCs) have been trained, with 3,194 youths from Busia actively training others.
- Skills Certification: Over 1,000 participants have received certification from the ICT Authority, validating their newly acquired skills.
- Focus on Inclusion: 338 persons with disabilities, including individuals with visual and hearing impairments, have received specialised training.
- Economic Empowerment: 2,000 youths are receiving high-impact digital skills training in entrepreneurship and business development, with the expectation of creating 4,000 more jobs within their communities.
Busia Agripreneurs Thrive with Digital Skills, Transforming Livelihoods
The impact of the “Strengthening Digital Communities” project under the Advanced Digital Skills & Employability for Youth, is vividly illustrated by the success stories of local agripreneurs who have embraced digital tools to revolutionize their businesses.
Ruth Macharia now leverages her newly acquired academic writing and digital marketing skills to empower youth and generate income through online platforms like Upwork and Amazon.
Odongo Onyango, with five years of academic writing experience, is not only tutoring his community but also creating remote job opportunities for young people, securing contracts from Australia.
Ouma, a livestock and vegetable farmer, has improved his organic farming practices using rabbit and pig droppings while employing Google Lens to optimize breeding and social media to market his livestock from birth.
Ochieng, a pig farmer, has transitioned from simply selling mature pigs to digitally managing his entire operation, using mobile apps for disease diagnosis and budgeting, reducing veterinary visits by 50%, and expanding his market reach beyond his village.
Roselyne Auma, a poultry farmer, has increased her flock from 5 to 30 hens after receiving training in business management and digital marketing, and is now confidently planning further expansion.
These stories demonstrate how digital literacy is not only enhancing agricultural productivity but also creating new economic opportunities and empowering individuals to build sustainable livelihoods in Busia County.
Project Details and Partnerships
The “Strengthening Digital Communities” project is part of the UK Digital Access Programme (DAP) and involves collaboration with a wide range of partners, including:
- Government Partners: The Ministry of Information Communication and Digital Economy, The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, The Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, County governments of Busia and Mandera, The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Authority, The National Council for Persons with Disabilities, The Kenya Society for the Blind, The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs), and the Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization.
- Non-State Partners: Technology For Growth (TECH4G), African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), Generation for Change and Development (GENCAD), African Centre for Women, Information and Communications Technology (ACWICT), EldoHub, Sote Hub, UK-Kenya Tech Hub, Plusfarm and Akukuranut Development Trust.
The project is part of a broader effort to transform digital communities in Kenya, aligning with the UK Digital Development Strategy (DDS) 2024-2030 and Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). It aims to train 10,000 community digital champions who will cascade training to 500,000 citizens, contributing to Kenya’s goal of achieving 20 million digitally literate citizens by 2027.
The project focuses on foundational digital skills, advanced employability skills for youth, awareness campaigns for inclusion, and collaboration for digital access.
Representatives from the British High Commission and KICTANet met with county officials and community members on Monday to assess the project’s progress.
Busia County Governor Dr. Paul Nyongesa Otuoma expressed gratitude for the project’s impact, noting that it has reached a significant portion of the county’s population in a short period.
He emphasized the importance of digital skills for economic empowerment, stating, “This phone you have can be a very useful tool, but it can also be a liability, because you can either use it to improve your life, or you can also use it to waste your life or even ruin your life.”
“We are trying to say that whatever means it takes, be it through telecommunication, for us to be able to commercialize, you know, and bring as many people as possible into the money economy.”
He also noted that “almost 40% accessing this kind of people within such a short period is not easy, especially in the digital space.”
Governor Otuoma noted that the project aligns with Busia County’s Ward-Based Economic Revitalization Program, which aims to improve the well-being of households through sustainable agriculture. The program focuses on increasing farm productivity and profitability.
“Depending on the impact that it’s going to have…I hope we are going to see it as we translate into how we are going to industrialize using agriculture…this digital platform gives a solution. This is what technology can avail to us.”
UK-AID’s Mr Charles Juma (UK-Digital Access Program Country Lead and Advisor) highlighted the project’s focus on addressing food insecurity through agribusiness training, committing to further strengthening this aspect in the coming months.
“I would like to commit here Your Excellency (Dr Paul Otuoma) that this remaining month of March, I want to pay particular attention to agribusiness, how to use digital services to support food security or food insecurity.”
The “Strengthening Digital Communities” project is poised to continue transforming Busia County, fostering a digitally literate and empowered population ready to seize the opportunities of the 21st century.
