Tuesday 21 May, 2024: Efforts to bridge unemployment challenge in Kenya have started bearing fruit following the graduation of the first batch of students from under-served communities under the LIFE Legacy Programme, an initiative spearheaded by Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a pan-African non-governmental organisation.

Thirty-nine students completed Paradigm Initiative’s 10-week-long LIFE (Life Skills, ICT Skills, Financial Readiness, and Entrepreneurship Skills) Legacy training. The trainees from Cohorts one and two of the programme were handed attestations of completion ina graduation ceremony held at Strathmore University, Nairobi. 

The event was graced by Mr. Timothy Were, ICT Deputy Director at the Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy in Kenya, who highlighted the critical role of digital skills in today’s economy and the importance of empowering youth from underserved communities. 

“The LIFE Legacy Programme represents more than a training course; it embodies a powerful vision of empowerment, inclusion, and opportunity… By focusing on digitally excluded individuals who lack skills, confidence, and opportunities, this programme is contributing towards bridging the digital divide and unlocking the potential of young people from underrepresented backgrounds,” Mr. Were noted.

Speaking at the same occasion, Gonline Africa Founder, Alphonce Odhiambo said with the graduation of the first and second cohort of students, a lot more needs to be done for the youth, and the role of organisations working in the digital sector is to collaborate and see how to position them in the digital economy.

Paradigm Initiative’s Senior Programmes Officer, Anglophone Africa, Khadijah El-Usman traced the origins of the LIFE Legacy programme, highlighting its impact on underserved youth and communities across the African continent. On her part, Paradigm Initiative’s Communications Manager, Judith Ogutu indicated that besides the LIFE Legacy programme, the organisation also advocates for digital rights, contributes towards policy development and scrutinises the state of digital rights and inclusion on the continent. She  presented the organisation’s digital advocacy tools, Ayeta, Ripoti, the Londa report and the short films inspired by the report. 

Launched in 2007 in Ajegunle, Nigeria, the LIFE Legacy Programme has expanded to multiple African nations. Since its inception in Kenya in September 2023, the programme has trained 80 young individuals from Kibera in Nairobi and Tana River in Coastal Kenya, equipping them with the skills needed to thrive in the digital age. 

The LIFE Legacy Programme, an acronym for Life Skills, ICT Skills, Financial Readiness, and Entrepreneurship Skills, aims to create opportunities for youth to access internships, online work, or entrepreneurial ventures, enabling them to earn immediate and sustainable income. The programme, which is currently being implemented in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe has impacted the lives of more than 150,000 young Africans on the continent. 

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About PIN

Paradigm Initiative has worked in communities across Nigeria since 2007 and across Africa since 2017, building experience, community trust, and an organisational culture that positions us as a leading social enterprise in ICT for Development and Digital Rights on the continent.

Across our regional offices in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, , and beyond, we have impacted youth with improved livelihoods through our digital inclusion and digital rights programs. The organisation’s programs include LIFE training program, and life at schools club program.

PIN has also built online platforms that educate and serve as safe spaces for reporting digital rights violations. These mediums, in the form of reports, short films, and educational online platforms, include Ayeta, Londa, and Ripoti.

The organisation is also the convener of the annual Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum, a platform where conversations on digital policy in Africa are shaped, policy directions debated, and partnerships forged for action.