NAIROBI, Kenya, May 11 — Kenya is reforming the education system to ensure that learners keep pace with a fast-changing global labour market, especially in technology, President William Ruto has said.
The President said the Competency-Based Education system is more practical and focused on the development of skills, knowledge and competencies.
He was speaking during a forum with the youth at the University of Nairobi. The event, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, is part of a series of activities lined up during the Africa Forward Summit.
“The previous education system was about how much you could remember, memorise and regurgitate,” he said.
The reforms, he noted, are designed to deliver knowledge that “aligns with the requirements of now”.
He added that the key focus of CBE is science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects, which are the driving force behind innovation.
Technology investments
On technology, Ruto said the government has laid 30,000km of fibre optic cable to expand digital infrastructure and create opportunities for innovators, creators, and enterprises.
“Investing in this infrastructure will position Kenya as a hub for innovation,” he said. “We want to attract everybody to Kenya by building a comprehensive tech ecosystem.”
Kenya, he noted, is already making steady progress in manufacturing digital devices like phones and computers.
The President said the country hosts a growing number of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms, citing the entry last year of Teleperformance, one of the world’s largest BPO companies, as evidence of investor confidence.
“These companies come to Kenya because of the infrastructure we have built and continue to build,” he said. “Kenyans also have the right skills and are highly entrepreneurial.”
The future, he stated, is technology, and AI will be at the heart of everything.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who also participated in the panel discussion, commended Kenya for making substantial investments in digital infrastructure.
He urged African countries to create an enabling environment for innovation and forge partnerships to build the computing capacity needed for AI and cross-border payment systems.
“We are all consumers of AI, and we need to establish the necessary computing capacities,” President Macron said.
He called on African countries to expand electricity generation by tapping renewables and nuclear energy. The French leader said nuclear energy will power data centres and other digital infrastructure.
The panel discussion was part of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, which has brought together 30 heads of State and thousands of participants. It is the first time the summit is being held in Africa.
