Scholars have been challenged to incorporate technology into their studies to remain relevant in the current job market regardless of their area of specialisation. This was one of the key messages relayed during the 6th edition of the Nairobi Innovation Week, held at the University of Nairobi last week.
“I have not seen any part of the business world that has not been disrupted by technology. Whether it is automation of the sales processes, supply chain or manufacturing, they are all being enabled by technology,” noted Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom.
He urged scholars to hone their digital skills because many employers are now looking beyond the traditional mainstream skills and want skills that can help companies improve their efficiency in production and customer outreach.
Ndegwa noted that the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the process of digitisation, and there has been a significant increase in adoption of digital products, particularly in regions that were previously ignored, such as in Africa, creating a vacuum waiting to be filled only by innovations that are tech-centered.
“A few years ago, platforms like Amazon, Facebook, or even Mpesa for that matter, did not exist. Now they are among the largest. It goes to show how important this area of technology is, and it shows that anyone, regardless of the courses they are studying in the university, has to embrace digital,” noted Mr Ndegwa.
The vice chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Prof Stephen Kiama, said that universities need to partner with like-minded institutions in the technology sector to influence curriculum, certification, and also to provide internship opportunities where scholars can develop the skills needed in the job market.
“Today, we are seeing so many jobless graduates yet there are so many available job opportunities. We need to make sure our lawyers, doctors and accountants are trained to think of incorporating digital skills in their practices,” noted Prof Kiama.
He noted that this is even more important now that large multinational corporations such as Google and Microsoft are setting up base in Kenya, creating positions that will need to be filled.
“We need to develop talent from Kenya to fill these opportunities created through these centres. There is no way we can have all these great minds coming from our local universities but then we are forced to give all the opportunities to outsiders because our scholars lack the required skills set,” noted Prof Kiama.
Prof Kiama said such skills can be developed through partnerships with the private sector that leads to the creation of more incubation hubs or even exhibition events such as the Nairobi Innovation Week where scholars can network and showcase their innovations.
The Nairobi Innovation Week was introduced in 2015 to accelerate the innovation ecosystem in Kenya and the region. The event entails entrepreneurship summits, hackathons, pitching and Intellectual Property commercialisation seminars.
The 6th edition of the annual event brought together over 40 universities and external innovation exhibitors, 22 corporate partners, government, foreign missions and several scholars.
During the event, scholars were also urged to not only develop innovations focusing on large corporate organisations, but also on small businesses which have lots of potential.
“A big challenge with young people is thinking the only people who can employ them or give them business are large corporates, but there is a significant opportunity in SMEs and the whole world of tech is creating these opportunities. Individuals are setting up start-ups that are revolutionary,” noted Mr Ndegwa.
Scholars were also challenged to develop innovations that move beyond targeting individuals and instead focus on collective communities not only to increase the magnitude of their success, but also so that they may remain relevant for a long time.
“When you are thinking about innovation, the key element is are you solving a customer issue, or are you solving a societal challenge? Those innovations that solve societal challenges are the ones that are sustainable,” noted Ndegwa.
Graduates were also urged to leverage on opportunities presented by government to bring their goals to fruition. These include The Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities programme, which awards business plans which have an innovate element to them.
“This programme was set up to offer innovators who cannot access bank loans funding of up to Sh3 million to run their business. Innovators should also leverage the youth empowerment and Ajira Digital centres to develop solutions to the problems that affect society,” noted Charles Sunkuli, principal secretary in the State Department for Youth Affairs.
