Youth in Thika are set to gain from a government initiative to construct an Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) hub in Thika town, Kiambu County.
The centre is set to be built on a public works land in the town’s industrial area, along the Thika-Garissa Road.
Public Works Principal Secretary (PS) Joel Arumonyang, while on an assessment tour of the premises accompanied by area MP Alice Ng’ang’a, said the project is a partnership with the State Department for ICT and Parliament to have the centres in every constituency.
“Besides the ICT hubs, we are going to all the counties to support the ongoing government projects, including construction of affordable houses in every constituency. Ours is to give the technical support,” said the PS.
The PS averred that the government has eased access to digital opportunities in the country through the Ajira Programme that was piloted in the country by the Ministry of ICT in 2016.
He pointed out that introducing the youth to ICT skills at a young age with a fundamental goal of exposing them to technology and empowering them will create a tech-savvy workforce that will steer the country’s transformation agenda.
“This programme will see us instill the spirit and capabilities of innovation in our citizens, creating a more technologically vibrant generation in the next decade or so. I believe this is the route to a Kenyan ‘Silicon Valley’ of the 21st Century,” he said.
Additionally, he said the department will upgrade outdated houses at the Thika Public Works Depot and others elsewhere.
Ng’ang’a said that once the ICT project kicks off, there will be job opportunities for hundreds of youth and other residents of Thika, noting that the centre will be accommodating between 300 and 500 people.
“I am grateful that my request to get space to build an ICT hub has been granted and now that the funds for the construction are available, the construction works will kick off soon,” said Ng’ang’a.
By Kamau Njoroge
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