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Digital Literacy Will Help Kenyan Youth Stay Ahead – Expert

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In today’s increasingly digital world, digital literacy has become an essential skill for success in education, work, and daily life.

It is important for individuals to develop digital literacy skills in order to effectively use technology and participate in the digital economy, as well as to be informed and engaged citizens in an increasingly connected world.

Digital literacy refers to the ability to effectively navigate, understand, and use digital technologies and information in order to communicate, create, learn, and participate in the digital world. It involves a combination of technical skills and critical thinking abilities, such as the ability to access and evaluate information online, use digital tools to communicate and collaborate with others, protect personal information and privacy online, and engage in ethical and responsible online behavior.

At the recent U.S.-Africa Business Forum, President Biden announced the Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) initiative, which will invest $350 million to expand digital access and literacy in Africa. During the last decade, the promise of Africa’s $180 billion digital economy started an undersea cable race amongst Silicon Valley giants to build the region’s internet infrastructure.

Africa controls 70% of the world’s $1 trillion mobile money market. It is a fact that can easily lull you into believing the continent is a land of digital abundance. Being Pollyanna about the explosive growth in mobile payments masks the full magnitude of the digital divide. For instance, compared to other regions in the world, sub-Saharan Africa still has the highest monthly cost, as a percentage of GDP, of one gigabyte of data.

According to the 2021 Ibrahim Forum Report, 58% of Kenyans have access to the internet, but only 29% of the population has a basic level of digital literacy. The lack of digital literacy hinders the country’s economic growth and results in missed opportunities. Digital literacy is more than just the ability to use the internet, it is also about skills in data analytics, app development, and network management.

The Kenyan government has taken a step in the right direction by introducing coding as part of the school curriculum in primary and secondary schools. This will contribute to improving digital literacy among young people and equip them with the necessary skills to compete in the digital economy. In prioritising digital literacy, policymakers can hope to attract some of the 20-50 million jobs that will be created from the development and deployment of technology (McKinsey).

While curriculums in many African schools address computer literacy, policymakers should ensure that the curriculum develops digital literacy skills that are relevant to the country’s digital economy. This will ensure that students have the necessary skills to take up the opportunities provided by Kenya’s growing digital economy.

Various private sector organisations such as mobile network operators and technology companies, have launched digital literacy initiatives in Kenya. For example, Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile network operator, has established a program called “DigiFarm,” which provides small-scale farmers with digital skills to improve their productivity and income. That said, more needs to be done to bridge the broader digital literacy gap especially in rural Kenya to ensure that all Kenyans can participate in the digital economy.

Not-for-profit Project Management Institute, the world’s leading association for project professionals, has been advocating to make it easier for students to connect with skills development opportunities over the internet. It offers citizen development courses free of cost to interested universities in Africa. But coordinating mechanisms are needed to improve interaction and collaboration across government, educational institutes, training providers, and business so the intention is translated into action.

Citizen development is one of the strategies to enhance digital literacy. Citizen developers create software and applications with little or no coding experience and will be central to digital transformation in the future.

If we continue to ignore the fact that technological progress and its accelerating rate of change requires new skill sets, we will produce a workforce unfit for the 230 million jobs requiring digital skills by 2030 (IFC 2019 Digital Skills report).

As we face the fourth industrial revolution, improving access at the expense of the ability to participate in the digital economy is squandering the best opportunity in decades to close the digital divide.

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Adios ‘Blue Bird’. Bienvenido ‘X’

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In a daring move that has left the social media world abuzz, Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk has taken the platform in a direction no one saw coming. With the sudden rebranding to ‘X,’ the Tesla CEO has bid farewell to the beloved Twitter name and iconic bird logo, leaving many questioning his intentions. Under Musk’s ownership, Twitter has already undergone significant changes, but this latest move has proven to be the most contentious to date. The decision to part ways with the recognizable Twitter branding has sparked a wave of criticism, with many fearing that Musk might be attempting to dismantle rather than rebuild the platform’s image.

The immediate replacement of the Twitter Icon logo with ‘X’ has left users puzzled and divided. Some argue that the change was unnecessary and risks alienating long-time users who had grown accustomed to the familiar look and feel of the platform. They fear that this move might isolate the core user base and deter potential newcomers. Additionally, Musk’s proposal to rename tweets as ‘X’s has not been met with much enthusiasm. Critics argue that this change only adds confusion and complicates the platform’s already unique lexicon.

Musk’s vision of transforming the platform into a new, more innovative space might be the key to its survival in a rapidly evolving social media landscape. While it’s too early to determine the ultimate impact of this drastic overhaul, one thing is certain: Elon Musk’s Twitter transformation has sparked an intense debate across the online community. As the social media giant navigates this uncharted territory, only time will tell if ‘X’ will mark the spot for Twitter’s triumphant resurgence or lead to its downfall.

In a world where rebranding can make or break a company, Musk’s gamble with ‘X’ will undoubtedly be one of the most closely watched developments in the entertainment and tech spheres. For now, all eyes are on Twitter, waiting to see if this audacious move will prove to be a stroke of genius or a risky leap of faith.

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Dawn of Starlink: Kenya’s Internet Revolution

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The Kenyan internet market is poised to experience a major revolution with the arrival of Starlink, spearheaded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The company recently announced its plans to offer internet connectivity to several key towns in the country. Elon took to Twitter to share the exciting news shortly after the official announcement by Starlink Company.

This development is expected to revolutionize the local internet landscape by introducing advanced and cutting-edge technology. Starlink aims to challenge the status quo of satellite internet, promising speeds of over 150 Mbps to any location on Earth as long as its satellite dish has an unobstructed view of the sky.

With this groundbreaking venture, Elon Musk continues to cement his reputation as an innovative entrepreneur who fearlessly reshapes industries. Starlink’s expansion into Kenya marks a significant milestone in the journey toward universal connectivity and digital empowerment. The country’s tech-savvy population can now look forward to embracing the dawn of a new era in internet access, thanks to Starlink’s game-changing services.

The arrival of Starlink has the potential to disrupt the dominance of established internet service providers like Safaricom and Zuku, as the competition heats up in the race to provide faster and more reliable internet access.

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Artificial Intellect: Unemployment Effect

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Advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems are being developed and deployed quickly, which has caused both enthusiasm and worry in a number of different industries. Although AI has many advantages and prospects, one important side effect looms large: the possible rise in unemployment. As AI technology develops, it is critical to recognize the potential risks it poses to the labor market and to take proactive steps to manage those risks.

The Danger to Traditional Employment:

Modern artificial intelligence (AI) systems are built to automate jobs that were previously done by people. AI-powered robots can perform better than humans in a variety of fields thanks to their capacity for processing enormous volumes of data, learning from patterns, and making complicated judgments. In sectors including manufacturing, transportation, customer service, and data entry, this results in the replacement of workers in repetitive, rule-based, and routine jobs. Article and speech writers are on the brink of losing their jobs with time.

Changes in Workforce Dynamics:

AI’s effects on employment go beyond simple job displacement. Additionally, it changes the way that the workforce operates. Human abilities like critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and sophisticated problem-solving are necessary for many jobs, and these positions are expected to be in more demand. For example, physiotherapy sessions require a lot of human comfort. However, not all people have these abilities, which could result in a mismatch between the abilities of the workforce and the occupations that are available, resulting in inequality and unemployment.

Adapting to a Changing Environment:

It is essential to act proactively to solve the problems caused by rising unemployment. To provide people with the skills necessary to prosper in the AI-driven economy, this includes funding education and reskilling programmers. Governments, educational institutions, and corporate organizations must work together to develop comprehensive plans that support initiatives for lifelong learning, skill upgrading, and retraining.

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