Technology firm Huawei Kenya recently conducted a two-day training program on February 6-7, 2024, for 100 women from various table banking groups (chamas) in Nairobi on digital and entrepreneurship skills.
The goal of the training was to equip these women with practical abilities to leverage digital platforms for business marketing as well as provide entrepreneurial tactics to increase incomes.
The training was organized in conjunction with two other organizations – Computers for Schools Kenya and Mama Doing Good.
Building Digital and Entrepreneurial Skillsets for Income Growth
The training curriculum was designed specifically to provide real-world digital abilities that the women could immediately apply to growing their businesses.
It showcased how to utilize different digital social media platforms for marketing products and services online. Guidance was also given on safety precautions to take online and avoiding fraud.
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Additionally, the training incorporated entrepreneurial tactics on how to increase profits, manage finances, and scale up their operations. Equipping the women with this diverse combination of digital and entrepreneurial skillsets was aimed at enabling them to substantially expand their incomes.
Maureen Mwaniki, Huawei Kenya’s Director of Public Affairs, reaffirmed the company’s commitment as a technology leader to ensure universal access to basic digital skills training for societal improvement.
“This digital training aligns with the ongoing efforts of governments to digitise Government services and payments through the e-citizen platform, which eases access to services,” Huawei said in a statement.
Aligning with National Digital Ambitions while Closing the Gender Gap
The ambitious Kenyan government target aims to impart essential digital skills to 20 million citizens over the next decade. Achieving such an extensive goal requires diverse stakeholder participation through customized programs catering to the specific needs of different segments of the population.
The Huawei Kenya training for the 100 women exemplifies this targeted approach focused on equipping the participants with tailored skills to address key barriers faced by female entrepreneurs across Kenya.
It comes at a crucial time when Kenyan women are still closing the mobile internet adoption gap compared to men. The latest 2023 Mobile Gender Gap Report by GSMA highlights this persistent gap – stagnant 59% adoption among Kenyan men year-over-year compared to women’s adoption, which grew from 36% to 39% over the same period.
While increased mobile internet use by women has been observed over emerging markets, their pace of adoption has declined for two straight years. Significant gender divides clearly persist, necessitating specialized training initiatives like Huawei Kenya’s to accelerate digital equality across Kenya.
