NAIROBI, Kenya, May 27 – Kenyan Tech Startup Eldohub has launched a new platform to link Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to young tech professionals as demand for tech talent skyrockets.
The platform dubbed Sasakazi addresses barriers to decent employment, including the availability of skilled employees among the youth and the demand by businesses to hire.
The platform occupies a central position between SMEs and the tech talent pool, providing support to young Tech Professionals in acquiring practical work experience and launching careers in the technology sector.
This is achieved through professional digital apprenticeships, job placement assistance, training on soft skills, and one-on-one mentorship by experienced professionals from the tech industry.
Eldohub Founder Magdalene Chepkemoi says Africa is in dire need of tech talent as the use of digital technologies is being punted as the catalyst to economic growth on the continent.
“Access to suitably qualified tech skills is one of the biggest challenges facing SMEs, and the need for tech skills is only likely to increase, due to the rising demand for digital tools and processes,” she said.
The platform has been funded by the UK through the Africa Tech and Innovation Partnership (ATIP) and supported by UK-Kenya Tech Hub. The project identifies, vets, recruits and places young junior talents into businesses to complete a digital project identified by the business.
During the testing period, the platform has reached 3884 tech talents, placed 386 junior tech professionals in 181 businesses (start-ups, SMEs, and/or traditional businesses) within Kenya. it was also piloted in Nandi County, where tech talents were deployed to work alongside the County to digitize government services. Up to 90 percent of the tech talents have been hired by the businesses.
The programme targets to reach 1 million users in the next five years.
“Sasakazi platform was built to disrupt the industry by creating professional digital apprenticeship with time tested soft skills for digital work setting and support MSMEs to digitize. Now junior tech talents can use Sasakazi to display their qualifications and get connected with opportunities and employers in the digital economy,” Chepkemoi added.
Latest data from German-software firm SAP indicates that there is an acute tech talent shortage that has hit companies across East and West Africa.
The March 2023 study reveals that 93 percent of organisations in the two regions say the need for tech skills has increased in the past 12 months
The study also reveals that the problem is expected to grow this year as only three percent of organisations in the two regions are not expecting tech skills challenges in 2023.
