President William Ruto.

The European Union (EU), Germany and Estonia last week launched a Digital Transformation Centre (DTC) in Kenya.

The aim of the initiative is to strengthen the country’s digital economy and nurture open and inclusive digital governance.

The centre was launched together with implementing partner Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the government of Kenya.

The project is being implemented by GIZ, in partnership with the Estonian Centre for International Development.

The initiative comes as Kenya is betting on the digital economy being key to its youth empowerment drive.

President William Ruto recently said his government is keen on making Kenya an ICT innovation hub to unlock the potential of the digital economy.

To this end, the president said his government had put in place ‘robust measures’ to ensure successful implementation of the country’s digital economy.

Kenya’s digital plans have since received the backing of the World Bank, which recently approved $390 million in funding to amplify the country’s growing digital economy.

Now, the DTC – a three-year project, with a budget of $29 million – seeks to further strengthen Kenya’s digital economy.

DTC experts offer training, workshops and advisory services to partners, such as the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, the ICT Authority, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and the broader digital innovation ecosystem.

The centre will also drive the creation of a green digital innovation hub for Kenya’s small medium enterprises and entrepreneurs.

In a statement, the group said, with a focus on ‘human-centred digitalisation’, the Digital Transformation Centre’s technical assistance offers support through a digital transition that serves people’s needs and protects their rights.

“The centre will work with partners on key themes of the Kenya Digital Master Plan 2022 – 2023 towards an open and inclusive digital government, data protection and trust, a fair and competitive digital economy, ethical use of emerging technologies, youth employment through digital skills, bridging the gender digital divide and a green digital transition,” reads the statement.

Henriette Geiger, EU ambassador to Kenya, commented: “With values such as openness, trust and safety as a framework, we can create a digital future in Kenya, where technology truly serves the needs of the people. This is our offer as Team Europe.”

German ambassador Sebastian Groth, added: “Jointly, we can address individual and system biases to increase women’s participation in the tech sector and make the Internet a safer space.”