It is time to innovate our way into the future

Young innovators

The platform that supports all the transactions on the Hustler Fund was developed locally, has opened up access to affordable credit, liberated millions of hustlers from the vicious grip of shylocks and other predatory lenders, and enabled Kenyans of all walks of life to mobilise savings. This revolutionary technology is a continuation of Kenya's illustrious tradition of pioneering innovation in the financial technology sector.

I have asked the Ministry of Education to work with these young innovators on the delivery of our pledge to provide sanitary pads for schools. We have agreed on partnerships to support local organisations in providing opportunities for young Kenyans to acquire training and skills in the various aspects of digital productivity.

We are also exploring ways of making the benefits of monetisation of online activity available to Kenyan content creators on more platforms. I have spoken directly to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram, to monetise content for our digital entrepreneurs that will exponentially multiply incomes and create employment opportunities for others.

I am impressed and encouraged by the power of monetisation and remote jobs. This is the way to the future. If I was not a State officer, I wonder what the content on my small Facebook page, with 2.3 million followers, would earn me daily.

As we have all witnessed today from the performances, our creative sector is ready with thousands of highly talented and promising youth waiting to seize opportunities to stream high-quality content for monetisation. My administration recognises sports and the arts as a mega industry that can employ millions of our youth and help grow our economy. This is why we have moved with speed to get our football back, protect Kenya's proud athletics pedigree from doping, and streamline the collection and distribution of royalties to our artists.

Through the revolutionary 'TALANTA HELA' Plan, we will rebuild and monetise our sports and creative industry. As part of this plan, I have accepted to champion a grassroots football development programme that will see the national government work with county governments to invest heavily in youth football.

Arrangements are at an advanced stage to launch a Bottom-up football tournament to be contested by under-19 teams from all 47 counties. We will work with our governors for each county to build a team right from the ward level. This is the first step in our Football Vision 2030 where we target to see Harambee Stars play at the 2030 World Cup and Kenya host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Digital Workforce

Together, let us build Kenyan football Bottom-up, from the grassroots of our villages to the grand stage of the World Cup. We are ready to take our place as the digital workforce of the world. Our commitments, under the Digital Superhighway component of our Plan, were intended for this specific purpose. To underscore our intent, we are today unveiling several cohorts of graduates whose training was supported under arrangements between the government and the private sector.

Safaricom re-trained a number of university and TVET graduates to meet the digital industry needs in software engineering and data science.

Also graduating today are the Presidential Digital Talent Programme, a class of talented youth selected by the Information and Communication Technology Authority for training through internship. Additionally, it is a big day for the beneficiaries of the Kenya Commercial Bank Tujiajiri Programme.

We are committed to supporting young Kenyans in re-establishing this country as the republic of ideas and the home of innovation. Through a dedicated Start-up Fund, the government will support the most innovative ideas each year to scale up into viable enterprises and commercial brands that will provide employment and drive economic growth.

The government will work with our academia to establish the Kenya Open University within the next one year. I urge our scholars and intellectuals to play their part in democratising education and open the way for anyone and everyone to quench their thirst for knowledge, education and training.

In conclusion, it is our time to make a contribution that will define Kenya for posterity as the envy of nations and a country that we, our children and their children will be proud to call home.

We also have the task of preparing the nation for its future by equipping and empowering our youth to take charge as leaders in a brave new world through innovation.

Let us, therefore, rally and join our efforts in the timeless spirit of Harambee to exploit the opportunities at hand and hasten our progress into the future.

Ruto is the President of Kenya.