Busia Governor Leads Launch of UK-Funded Digital Jobs Project for Youth, Women and Persons with Disabilities
Busia, Kenya – H.E. the Governor of Busia County today led the official launch of the Inclusive Digital Futures (IDF) Project at the Busia Agricultural Training Centre (ATC), marking a significant milestone in the County’s digital transformation and youth employment agenda.
The project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Digital Access Programme (UKDAP) and implemented in partnership with the Busia County Government and the African Centre of Women in ICT (ACWICT). It will equip 1,200 young people, the majority of whom are women and persons with disabilities, with advanced, market-driven digital skills across Busia, Siaya, and Elgeyo Marakwet counties by March 2026.
The Governor noted that Busia County is positioning itself as a regional leader in inclusive digital growth, recognising that digital skills are now a critical pathway to employment, entrepreneurship, and resilience, especially for rural youth.
“This programme speaks directly to our county priorities of presenting opportunities for digital and digitally enabled jobs, business, entrepreneurship for young women and Persons with Disabilities, and practical skills that translate into income. We are proud to partner with the UK Government and ACWICT to ensure that Busia’s youth are not left behind in the digital economy,” the Governor said during the launch.
Kenya has a predominantly young population, with over 75% of citizens under the age of 35, yet youth unemployment remains high. In Busia, unemployment rates range between 18–25%. At the same time, poverty levels remain above the national average, 63% in Busia, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reports. These challenges are exacerbated by limited access to digital skills, affordable internet, and viable pathways into the digital economy, particularly for women and persons with disabilities.
Through UKDAP support, the Inclusive Digital Futures Programme directly addresses these barriers by delivering practical, income-generating digital skills across high-growth pathways, including:
- Digital entrepreneurship and climate-smart agriculture
- Artificial intelligence (AI) literacy
- Creative and content economies
- Online work and the gig economy
- IT Technician services and digital device repair
Speaking at the event, the UKDAP Kenya Country Lead emphasised the UK Government’s commitment to ensuring that digital transformation delivers real economic opportunities at the local level.
“The UK Digital Access Programme is catalysing affordable, inclusive, safe, and secure digital access for digitally excluded populations, including women and Persons with Disabilities. By investing in digital employability skills, including AI literacy and digital entrepreneurship, we are supporting counties like Busia to unlock sustainable digital jobs, businesses, and resilient livelihoods,” a UKDAP representative noted.
The programme builds on other UK-DAP digital inclusion results, including:
- Trained over 15,000 Community Digital Champions (CDCs) on basic digital literacy
- Reached more than 1,200,000 citizens with foundational digital skills
- Created over 7,000 digital and digitally enabled jobs and businesses
- Generated relevant evidence to inform policy and practice
The Busia launch convened over 700 Community Digital Champions, alongside 300 other stakeholders, including County Executive leadership, national government representatives, development partners, and the media. A central highlight was the live activation of the IDF Programme, during which the Governor, UKDAP representatives, ACWICT, and CDCs jointly demonstrated the programme’s digital onboarding process, symbolising Busia County’s commitment to moving from policy intent to practical delivery. At the core of the training delivery model is the power of Artificial Intelligence. The programme aims to leverage a blended model involving both human and AI avatars, addressing the major digital exclusion factors, including the lack of internet connectivity, the high cost of internet bundles, and a lack of flexibility around time and availability.
ACWICT, the lead implementing partner, underscored that the programme goes beyond training to focus on business creation, mentorship, and market linkages, with clear outcomes expected for Busia to:
- Launch at least 600 digital and digitally enabled enterprises.
- Create 1,200 direct digital jobs and up to 12,000 indirect digitally enabled jobs.
- Generate policy briefs, research publications, and digital knowledge products to inform county and national policies on digital inclusion.
The Inclusive Digital Futures Programme aligns with Busia County’s development priorities, Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, and the UK Government’s Digital Development Strategy (2024–2030), reinforcing the UK–Kenya partnership in driving inclusive growth, innovation, and climate-smart digital economies.
Following the launch, Community Digital Champions were briefed on registration, selection, and training timelines. Participation will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to women and persons with disabilities, in line with programme inclusion targets.