Google announces KSH 1 billion grant to support Kenya’s post-COVID-19 recovery

by Enock Bett · January 28, 2021

Google CEO, Sundar Pichai on Wednesday announced a 10 million US dollar package to support Kenya’s post-COVID-19 recovery efforts during an evening virtual meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta meant to discuss the sidelines of a public discussion on digital transformation in Africa. The meeting was organized by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), a Washington DC-based trade association focusing on strengthening trade and commercial ties between the United States and African economies.

Mr. Pichai also announced 3 million to support small businesses, 5 million for Kenyan startups and 2 million for charity, and several other investments lined up by his organization for Kenya. He said Google will expand the Startups Accelerator program this year by supporting 100,000 businesses and 15,000 developers in Kenya. In the education sector, the tech giant said it will train 29,000 students and 1,800 teachers on remote learning using its Google Classroom platform.

President Kenyatta thanked Google for working closely with the Kenyan Government in driving digital transformation across the country in the 13 years of its operations in Kenya.

“Thank you and your team for being very close collaborators with Kenya over the years. We started our journey almost two decades ago to try and start moving into the digital world.

“You have been a good part of that journey. A journey that has enabled many Kenyans through the use of technology and digitization to access financial services, knowledge and to enhance their business capacities,” the President told Mr. Pichai.

He said Kenya’s digital transformation supported by partners such as Google over the years has seen the country rise to become “one of the startup capitals of the African continent.”

Uhuru said Kenya is aggressively expanding internet connectivity across the country and translating it into tangible economic benefits for her people and investing in skills development to enable young Kenyans to benefit from employment opportunities created by the digital revolution.

He assured that his administration is prioritizing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects to move Kenya from a nation reliant on agriculture to an economy powered by technology through the roll of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

The Head of State said his administration was keen on expanding market opportunities for Kenyan businesses through the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the United States of America and other multilateral platforms such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

On his part, Mr. Pichai said the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated digital growth in Africa and assured President Kenyatta that Google will continue partnering with African Governments in the delivery of technology solutions.

ICT CS Joseph Mucheru, a former Google employee, attended the meetings alongside his Foreign Affairs counterpart Raychelle Omamo. State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita, his deputy in-charge of Strategy Mrs. Ruth Kagia, and ICT PS Jerome Ochieng were also present.