As the year comes to a close, Huawei Kenya's DigiTruck has marked its one-year anniversary of training more than 1,500 youth across 13 locations in 8 counties. The announcement was made as 100 students graduated from the DigiTruck's latest training in Nyeri County.

DigiTruck is a solar-powered mobile classroom equipped with internet and smart devices. The program contributes to the Kenyan government's Ajira initiative which aims to enable youth in rural areas to get the digital skills they need to thrive in society.

Speaking at the occasion to mark the DigiTruck's one-year anniversary and the recognition of the recent batch of 100 students to successfully complete four weeks of training, Joe Mucheru, Kenya's cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communications and Youth Affairs, thanked Huawei and its partners for the interest they have shown in Kenyan youth.

"We are thankful to Huawei and your partners for helping us bring connectivity across the country even to our youth. I specifically want to thank Huawei and Kenya's National Youth Council for making sure the youth in Nyeri County and across Kenya received digital skills training," Mucheru said.

The graduation was also attended by Mutahi Kahiga, the governor of Nyeri County; Fiona Pan, the deputy chief executive of Huawei Kenya; Kanini Kega, Kieni constituency Member of Parliament; Julius Korir, Kenya's principal secretary for youth affairs; and Roy Sasaka, the chief executive of Kenya's National Youth Council.

Mucheru added that public-private partnerships have played a key role in bridging the digital divide, hence reducing the barriers of participation and entry for marginalized communities. In addition, he said that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inequalities in Kenya with regard to technology and digital accessibility, especially with the need to work remotely and access education online.

In his remarks, Korir said that the government made the right move to join hands with Huawei to work together on the DigiTruck. Pan on her part reiterated that information communication and technology is critical and the fastest growing part of the economy and provision of technology on its own is not enough if people don't know how to use it.

The DigiTruck program is one aspect of Huawei's digital skills trainings that include other programs for training youth at Kenyan universities and technical and vocational education and training institutions nationwide. The graduates also learn about e-waste and online safety.

The program is part of Huawei's wider Tech4all, a digital inclusion initiative focusing on three main areas, namely technology, application and skills to empower people and organizations across the globe. The DigiTruck has been moving around Kenya providing digital skills. Despite a three-month pause when the pandemic first broke, the DigiTruck resumed operations again in line with the Kenyan government health protocols.

In its first year of operations the DigiTruck provided over 22,000 hours of training for youth in the towns of Bomet, Embu, Kericho, Laikipia, Machakos, Meru, Nandi and now Nyeri. Huawei has recently committed to continue supporting the DigiTruck in 2021 to reach more youth in more counties.