CISCO in partnership with the ICT Authority will launch the Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) and Networking Academy Programme for Kenya on Friday 24th April.
This will be their first ever program in the country as the tech company builds efforts to accelerate digitization across the country and empowering the citizens.
In the last 25 years, CISCO has invested over $180m and educated over 1.6 million students across the continent via its Networking Academies. Last year, CISCO pledged an additional $200 million over the next decade to train 3 million more students in digital skills and cybersecurity in Africa through CISCO’s 99 partner organizations offering Networking Academy courses, through which there has been a total of $18.7m in-kind contributions since inception.
Currently, 38,589 students join the program annually while a total of 133,881 students having been trained since the inception of the program, with a female representation of 29 percent.
Based on surveys from 2005-2023, 97 percent of students who took CISCO certification courses obtained a job and/or received an opportunity to further their studies, addressing the issue of unemployment and illiteracy among the youth.
The Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) and Networking Academy Programme boast key partnerships fuelling its outreach impacts; the Afralti – Be The Bridge Award celebrates the efforts of partners who are dedicated to the success of the students.
The Clean Start Kenya empowers women impacted by criminal justice by training them on digital skills and giving them a second chance in life.
The Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa supports the visually impaired by giving them the chance to be integrated into digital roles and lastly, the Refushe Kenya which empowers refugees with digital skills accreditation.
CISCO is expanding its impact by forging new partnerships targeting the government sector, universities, and NGOs targeting marginalized groups.
Under its Sustainable and Secure Critical National Infrastructure pillar, CISCO intends to work with the Government of Kenya to identify projects that build and improve Kenya’s underlying digital infrastructure and foundational services in critical areas such as the energy sector, healthcare, agriculture, national ports, broadband connectivity, infrastructure, and national cybersecurity.