The local film, music, drama and arts sector has received a major boost following the opening of a talent academy by the Mount Kenya University (MKU) on Thursday June 20.
The Cape Media Talent Academy targets students in universities and beneficiaries will acquire professional hands-on training and employment opportunities.
According to an agreement between MKU and Cape Media Ltd, the university will provide the academy with creative content as developed by the students. This will allow the talented students to be engaged by the academy in various and different ways, hence leading to job creation.
MKU Vice Chancellor Prof Deogratius Jaganyi has asked MKU students take advantage of this opportunity and congratulated Cape Media Limited for the innovative undertaking. “Moreover, the student artists who are going to participate in the content creating will get certificates which will give them an edge within the job market,” noted the VC.
During the launch at the institution’s Thika campus, the Kenya Film Classification Board Acting Chief Executive Officer, CPA Paskal Opiyo, congratulated Cape Media and MKU for initiating the academy which aims to harness, cultivate, nurture, showcase and monetize the talents of young Kenyans through training.
“I applaud this initiative, it is key to addressing the mismatch of skills that has been a hindrance for young people pursuing careers in the Creative Economy,” he said.
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“According to statistics published by UNESCO in 2023, Statistics further show that the creative economy has created more than 30 million jobs for workers aged 18-25 more than any other field of employment across the world.”
In a speech read on his behalf by Nelly Muluka, the board’s Corporate Communication Manager, Opiyo commended Cape Media for supporting the creative industry by broadcasting locally produced audio-visual content and providing a platform for Kenyans to share their unique and authentic stories and experiences on its various platforms.
MKU Vice Chancellor Prof Deogratius Jaganyi said data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics as well as from many other organizations in Kenya and beyond point out towards the huge numbers of unemployed youths in Kenya, Africa and in many developing countries.
“This illustrates the huge numbers of persons seeking employment in Kenya and across all African countries. It is a scenario that calls for an innovative strategy in job creation within Africa and in other developing countries across. In a world where creative arts industry is a popular engagement and given the increasing interest across the world of persons who daily turn to the entertainment industry for leisure, then, the Cape Media’s Talent Academy becomes a very important intervention in youth skills development and jobs creation,” he added.
MKU Pro-chancellor, Dr Vincent Gaitho said the government of Kenya’s commitment to promote creative economy was demonstrated in 2023’s establishment of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, which has two State Departments namely; State Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy and State Department for Sports.
Present at the launch was Mwenda Njoka, Group Managing Director, Cape Media, representatives of government agencies and private sector.
By James Wakahiu
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