Economy

Civil servants set to benefit from Sh326m ICT training

Bd-ICTBrowsinga

The seven-month course starting in October will benefit the mid-level policymakers. File

Public servants are set to benefit from a Sh326 million (€3 million) African Union training that will help to equip 300 African leaders with knowledge and skills on information technology in development planning.

The three-year African Leadership in ICT course is funded by the Finnish government and 20 Kenyan civil servants have been nominated to take part in the second round scheduled for October.

The seven-month course targets mid-level policy makers from 12 African countries on ICT, education, science and technology and innovation in public administration.

“The course will build the capacity of future African leaders to contribute effectively to the development of knowledge societies by imparting new leadership skills to them,” said Helena Tapper, the programme manager of Global eSchools Community Initiative (GESCI), which is running the initiative.

“These new leadership skills will provide participants with the attitudes, ideas, management tools, and strategies to act as change agents; assisting their ministries and organisations to develop coherent and well aligned polices.”

e-governance tools

The government in June 2004 set up the e-Government directorate to spearhead efforts to digitise service delivery by adopting appropriate IT solutions in financial management, data processing and storage.

The course is delivered through a blended approach where participants study both online and in face to face settings covering modules such as introduction to the knowledge society, futures thinking and use of e-governance tools.

Already, 25 Kenyan public officers drawn from ministries and parastatals graduated in August this year from the first cohort of trainees.
“I have learnt how to build networks necessary for the knowledge society and that I can make a difference as an individual,” said Ms Esther Gacicio, assistant director at the Kenya Institute of Education who completed the ALICT programme last month.