With digital transformation accelerating across Africa, it is now crucial to build the continent’s digital skills. In Kenya, private and public stakeholders are multiplying partnerships for that purpose. 

Last week, MaMa Doing Good, a Kenyan NGO headed by First Lady Rachel Ruto, announced a memorandum of understanding with Huawei to provide digital literacy training to some 14,000 women groups in the country. 

The partnership between the two institutions encompasses several key areas, including bridging the digital divide, improving digital skills, advocating for digital literacy, and communicating and documenting the program and its impact.

“We are thrilled to join forces with MaMa Doing Good to empower women with the digital skills they need to thrive in today’s world. Through this collaboration, we aim to bridge the digital divide and create a brighter future for women in Kenya,” said  Steven Zhang, Deputy CEO at Huawei Kenya.

For MaMa Doing Good, the new partnership “symbolizes a shared commitment to building an equitable society where every individual, especially women, can lead lives that are not just happy and fulfilled, but profoundly transformed. It resonates deeply with Kenya’s Vision 2030, underlining the paramount importance of digital literacy and economic empowerment” on Kenya’s roadmap to progress.

According to John Chumo (photo, center), CEO of MaMa Doing Good, investing in women's economic empowerment will pave the way for gender equality, poverty eradication, and inclusive economic growth. Digital equipment and skills will be a catalyst for change that will profoundly improve their lives, he believes.

Samira Njoya