Today, Kenya is regarded as a tech leader in Africa with technology being central to the government's vision. The President has been at the forefront of engaging global technology leaders to ensure that the country gets its rightful attention and strategic investments in matters of technology.

When the President visited Silicon Valley in San Francisco in mid-September for the 2023 US-Kenya Business Roadshow this year, he met with tech leaders where he sought to expand Kenya’s development in tech innovation.

Through his engagements while in the US, we have seen Amazon Web Services setting up a development centre in Nairobi, the heart of Silicon Savannah which is the second among the top three tech ecosystems in the continent. This reaffirms that Kenya is an attractive global investment destination besides being a continental leader in technology.

Moreover, cloud computing technology is growing globally with related skills providing numerous advantages that are beneficial not only for personal growth but also for business success.

The demand for African software developers is growing according to a report by Google -(2021). Additionally, the recent research by Precedence Research- Cloud Computing Market Size 2023-2032 states that the global cloud computing market is expected to cross $1 trillion by 2028.

This has, of course, led to a huge increase in the demand for cloud computing professionals. Finding the right skills might be one of the various hindrances in the accomplishment of this ambitious goal.

Thus, this is a golden time for young people who wish to make a career in cloud computing to start upskilling and reskilling. Amazon Web Services through its Development Centre in Nairobi is here and keen to expand demand for the skills.

The good news is, the development will not start from scratch in search for talent as there are already competent and certified Cloud Architects and Cloud Practitioners trained and certified through the Ajira Digital AWS re/Start program.

The AWS reStart, is a twelve-week pioneer Program launched in May 2021 through a partnership by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy in conjunction with AWS, eMobilis Technology Training Institute and the Mastercard Foundation to offer cloud computing skills to unemployed and underemployed Kenyan Youth while addressing the war for talents in the tech industry.

The program also provides these young people with career growth tips and resume coaching skills. Today, the AWS reStart graduates are working in Dubai, South Africa, Europe and some locally here in Kenya.

During the launch of the AWS Africa Development Centre, President Ruto lauded the Ajira AWS re/Start program partners including eMobilis on their commitment to cloud computing skills development which has seen over 1000 young Kenyans acquire free Cloud Architect Certification to give them a competitive edge to participate and contribute to the ever-evolving tech ecosystem.

Adeline Makokha, a software quality engineer at Safaricom PLC with a BSC in Telecommunication and Information Technology, is one of the Ajira AWS re/Start program participants pioneers in Kenya with multiple AWS certifications.

Besides being a community builder and a coordinator for AWS User Group in Kenya, Ms. Makokha is also the first female AWS community Builder in East Africa. This speaks volume of what the program has been able to achieve and inspires confidence in the potential success of the Development Centre.

While this space has been on a positive growth trajectory, there is still more to be done particularly on matters of inclusion.

The gender disparity exists in the technology field today with women access to digital technology opportunities remaining a major barrier to equal participation.

The development center will help young engineers both women and men, to learn, gain experience and work side by side with global engineers, inspiring the next generation of engineers and contributing to the transformation of all sectors.

Today, Kenya has about 60,000 software developers, according to the African Developer Ecosystem Report 2021. The Country comes in after Nigeria, which has about 85,000 professional developers and accounts for 12 percent of the developers in Africa.

As Kenya strives to grow its cloud computing talent to serve the local and global clientele, work readiness- skills development commands only 15 percent of Africa's developer ecosystem and men being the majority according to Africa Developer Ecosystem- 2021 Google report.

The launch of this centre is genuinely exciting and timely. With the developers’ ecosystem growing daily, more women are encouraged to take up STEM programs like Ajira AWS re/Start and other current collaborations initiated by AWS with Universities and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions are inevitable.

Such programs will help address talent demand at the development centers and the industry at large and consequently bring about the employment creation and transformation of the digital economy in the Country and beyond.

Cloud computing is a field that is rapidly growing and there is high demand for cloud computing talents. With the majority of local and global organizations migrating their IT infrastructures to the cloud, numerous job opportunities will be created.

So far the AWS has collaborated with the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, and the Ministry of Health, where it developed and hosted a cloud-based data application, the Centre for Epidemiological Modeling and Analysis (CEMA), which used data to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Kenya.

By collaborating with various Kenyan government ministries, parastatals, and other businesses in the Country more jobs will be created for young people.

Young people who will invest in learning cloud computing will position themselves for success and a fulfilling career, besides contributing to the progress and transformation of the digital economy. Get started with a free AWS Cloud Architect Certification today by registering on the Ajira AWS re/Start Cohort 8.

By Ken Mwenda

Ken Mwenda is co-founder and Managing Director eMobilis Technology Training Institute.