The government has kicked off a countrywide plan to train one million online workers to position Kenya as a major player in the online freelancing market, Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Sammy Itemere has said.
Itemere says though Kenya has one of the highest internet penetrations in Africa, internet service providers need to review downward the cost of bandwidth.
The World Development Report 2016 estimates that only 3 out of 10 people globally have internet access with Africa having the least internet presentation in the world.
However, Kenya is ranked top in Africa when it comes to internet penetration and bandwidth speed.
Globally, Kenya is ranked 43rd by the United States based cloud service provider Akamai.
The government says internet service providers should relook at the cost of broadband to make it cheaper.
Speaking during the launch of Ajira training program in Kisumu, Itemere said the government will partner with the private sector to roll-out free wi-fi in all constituencies to expand the online job market.
The Ajira digital programme seeks to train one million online workers to position Kenya as a major player in the online freelancing market.
So far 10,000 young people are being trained at centers based in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri.
The online freelancing market is estimated to be worth 1 billion shillings and will grow to hit the 5 billion shillings mark by the year 2020.
More than 40,000 Kenyans work online, making Kenya the biggest source for online workers in Africa.