The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Chinese technology firm, Huawei, on Wednesday announced that a successful model of teaching digital skills to disadvantaged communities in Kenya will be replicated in five other countries including France and the Philippines in the next two years.
Huawei’s initiative, known as DigiTruck project, which was launched in September last year provides digital skills training to rural and remote communities in Kenya through mobile digital classrooms converted from truck containers.
“As a technology company, Huawei wants to help with connectivity, applications, and skills by focusing on two important areas of connecting schools and developing digital skills respectively,” said Huawei’s deputy chairman Ken Hu in a webinar.
Hu said since the launch of DigiTruck in Kenya at the end of last year, it has provided training for more than 1,500 young people and teachers in rural areas.
“Huawei plans to replicate the program in France, the Philippines and three other countries in the next two years,” said Hu.
In Kenya, in the all solar-powered, mobile classrooms with wireless broadband access that can reach even the most remote communities, participants learn how to use computers and office software, how to use the internet to find and do work online, how to learn and develop their careers online, how to buy and sell their goods online, and how to be safe online.
Stone He, Huawei Kenya chief executive officer said the digital skills that the DigiTruck helped provide before the COVID-19 pandemic struck have never been more necessary now that even more of life and work is necessarily happening online.
“As Kenya’s digital transformation gathers pace, it is critical that every single Kenyan is prepared for this, and our research has shown that digital skills are currently a very significant challenge for many. We thank our partners in Kenya who have enabled Huawei’s first DigiTruck to be so successful that now Huawei is going to scale up our support to other countries,” He said.
