Why the future of our workforce depends on skills we build today

Not long ago, I met Yusuf, a young online delivery rider. Unable to join university because of financial constraints, he refused to let circumstance define his future.

After acquiring a smartphone, he shifted from relying on boda boda passengers to accepting delivery jobs through digital platforms. Today, he completes up to 30 deliveries a day, far more than he managed before. Technology did not simply change how he earned a living; it expanded his opportunities.

Yusuf’s story captures this year’s World Youth Skills Day theme, Skills for a Shared Future. It reminds us that when young people have access to digital tools, connectivity and relevant skills, they can create opportunities for themselves. The challenge is that too many remain excluded, not because they lack ambition, but because they lack access.

Kenya has one of the world’s youngest populations, with nearly three-quarters of citizens under 35. This presents enormous potential, but only if young people, wherever they live, can participate in the digital economy.

Without affordable devices, reliable internet and future-ready skills, today’s connectivity gap becomes tomorrow’s opportunity gap.

Preparing young people for the future requires more than digital literacy. They need technical, entrepreneurial and problem-solving skills that match the demands of a rapidly changing economy.

It also requires partnerships between government, educators and the private sector to ensure learning keeps pace with industry needs.
At Safaricom, we believe connectivity creates value only when it creates opportunity.

Through initiatives such as the Safaricom Digital Skills Hub, developed with AWS and Microsoft, young people can access free training in artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Programmes such as Safaricom Hook and Citizens of the Future are also helping expand digital learning, practical skills and educational opportunities across the country.

No single organisation can close the digital skills gap alone. But together, we can ensure that stories like Yusuf’s become commonplace.

Kenya’s future competitiveness will depend not simply on technology, but on whether every young person has the skills, connectivity and opportunity to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Fawzia Ali is the Chief Consumer Business Officer at Safaricom