Google announced a 10 million US dollar package to support Kenya’s post Covid-19 recovery.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had a virtual meeting with Google’s Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai which was organized by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA).
The council’s responsibility is to strengthen commercial relations between America and Africa. The 10 million dollar package was split into different amounts that would help business startups, small businesses and charities.
Picha’s company will support businesses.
With the tech and digital business ventures increasing in Kenya, Pichai said that he would expand its Google for startups accelerator program by supporting 100,000 businesses plus 15,000 developers in Kenya.
Additionally, 29,000 students and 1,800 teachers who are using the Google Classroom platform will be trained.
So far President Kenyatta has welcomed the digital transformation that Kenya is undergoing and even encouraged the collaboration between Pichai and the online community.
The President thanked Pichai and said:
“Thank you and your team for being very close collaborators with Kenya over the years. We started our journey some almost two decades ago to try and start moving into the digital world.You have been a good part of that journey. A journey that has enabled many Kenyans through the use of technology and digitization to access financial services, knowledge and to enhance their business capacities”
The President also confirmed that children will soon be enrolled into the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) to give Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects the prominence needed to move Kenya from a nation reliant on agriculture to an economy powered by technology.
Currently, with the digital evolution taking place in Kenya this new investment will be beneficial especially for all the young Kenyans who have ventured into the digital industry.
