Digital Marketing
Skills in emerging technologies offers hope for Kenyan youth.
Equipping Kenyan youth with technological skills to curb unemployment.
A young workforce with skills in emerging technologies heightens the chances of achieving vision 2030 agenda for sustainable development in the fast-paced digital economy
The technology sector is one of the fast growing industries in the world, emerging technologies are affecting the way of doing things, from making phone calls to how companies and government institutions operate, the working environment is expected to keep on adapting to transformations brought about by technology.
In modern times, employment requirements are high and competition for positions remains to be stiff, the youth and professionals are required to understand how new technologies are affecting the job market and getting familiar with new inventions to fit into needs of the market.
A World Bank report through the Digital Adoption Index (2020) indicates that new technologies are transforming economic opportunities, a trend that has been accelerated by businesses and institutions in their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
African technology industry is rapidly growing with technology hubs in the continent growing by more than 50 per cent in the last decade, with this trend expected to accelerate, talents need to be nurtured in the new digital areas to provide a market driven workforce.
The Kenyan job market has witnessed technology disruption first hand with top tier institutions enacting job cuts with others offering young people with skills training to thrive into the digital driven economy.
A 2019 survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicated that more than 7 million young people are grappling with unemployment in the country, one of the reasons cited for their lack of opportunities being inadequate digital skills set for the dynamic job market.
The Kenyan government continues to facilitate technological growth. In May 2019, the president launched the Digital Economy Blueprint, which presented a framework to improve Kenya and Africa’s ability to leapfrog economic growth, including massive investment in fibre-optic cable infrastructure.
Consequently, the venture has enabled better connectivity allowing more young people, including those in rural areas, to access high-speed internet, this will be instrumental in the advancement of digital technologies across the country.
The COVID-19 crisis has brought about years of change in the way companies in all sectors and regions do business. Many companies have accelerated the digitization of their customer and supply-chain interactions and their internal operations, the share of digital or digitally enabled products in their portfolios has also significantly accelerated.
To stay competitive in this new business and economic environment requires an understanding of emerging technologies by employees, most firms now recognize savvy workers’ importance as a critical component of driving growth while also improving processes, quality control and efficiency.
Equipping young people with technological skills will help them prepare for the future work that is already upon us. In addition, soft-skills training are necessary which enables tomorrow’s workforce to take on responsibilities in technology-based enterprises.
Strathmore University’s Research and Innovation Centre-@iLabAfrica offers a Certificate in Emerging Technologies(CET) course which equips learners with foundational skills in the emerging areas of Data Science, Cybersecurity, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, Graphic Design and Digital Marketing.
According to Ms. Rael Kilonzo, Project Coordinator for Executive Education at @iLabAfrica, the course equips learners with technical skills in modern technologies while offering professional development skills in Web and Mobile Applications development.
“@iLabAfrica we always strive to create high quality content that can speed up innovation by imparting knowledge and skills to the young generation. The CET course has been designed to equip form four leavers and other individuals with fundamentals skills of emerging technologies. Learners not only get an opportunity to specialize in the specific IT areas but also learn how to potentially change the world using technologies that are driving global revolution” said Ms. Kilonzo.
With a digitally prepared youth population, it is feasible for Kenya and African countries to curb unemployment and secure a future for the young generation. A young workforce with skills in emerging technologies heightens the chances of achieving vision 2030 agenda for sustainable development in the fast-paced digital economy.
Across the African continent, the relentless spread of networks, sensors, artificial intelligence, and automation is driving a revolution to an unknown destination. A workforce with Skills in Emerging technologies will help governments and institutions drive economic growth through initiatives such as digitization of government departments and processes such as revenue collections which curbs corruption.
Emerging technologies are expected to have a powerful impact on the security and stability of African states, having the right skills set for security officers will help in the implementation of a technology based approach in the fight against terrorism in the continent.
To enroll for the Digital Marketing Masterclass at Strathmore University, kindly email rkilonzo@strathmore.edu or visit the website http://www.ilabafrica.ac.ke/index.php/digital-marketing/
How Kenyan Businesses are leveraging on Digital Marketing to Increase Sales.
Kenya is leading Africa in internet penetration at 83 percent.
The world of digital media is changing at a very fast pace. Its constantly evolving technologies and the way different people use them is transforming not only access to information, but also human interactions and communications on a global scale, this has extended to affect how people choose and buy products and services from different companies.
Digital marketing, also called online marketing is one of the online practices on the rise, it has also been described as the promotion of brands to connect with potential customers using digital communication forms and the internet, this includes not only email, social media, and web-based advertising, but also text and multimedia messages as a marketing channel.
Over the years marketing has evolved to adapt to the increasingly online world, professionals and businesses have had to adapt to maintain a competitive advantage and avoid being left out.
The main focus of businesses is getting as many clients and customers in through the door as possible, marketing holds the key to attracting them and generating leads. A survey by the American Marketing Association found that most of the savvy businesses are relying exclusively on digital marketing in 2021.
According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC, 2021), the world entered the digital era firmly in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many companies to adopt digital methods of staying in business while also running day to day operations. This has made businesses transition to the digital models of advertising as well for them to survive.
This rapid switch has made organizations realize that going digital is productive and cost effective. The importance of digital marketing lies in the fact that it provides multiple innovative solutions and, businesses will continue to capitalize on this trend in coming years. Digital marketing resonates with the young generation who form the bulk of a business’ client/customer base today.
Data from a World Bank research (2020) indicates that African countries are facing a digital skills gap which is negatively affecting economic opportunities and development. The report further indicates that by 2030, average digital skills will be required for 50-55% of jobs in Kenya, 35-45% in Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Rwanda, and 20-25% in Mozambique. This highlights the importance of investments in digital skills which will create new opportunities while also helping lower unemployment levels in the country.
A survey conducted by Internet World Stats in 2019 indicates that Kenya is leading Africa in internet penetration at 83 percent. Kenya is seen to be fast moving towards a digital economy, though not at the required pace according to the 2019 World Development Report, which seeks to explore how internet use as a result of advances in technology today.
@iLabAfrica Research and Innovation Centre of Strathmore University offers a certificate course in Digital Marketing which targets young people willing to pursue careers in the digital marketing world and professionals in the sector.
Ms. Rael Kilonzo, Project Coordinator for Executive Education at Strathmore University says that the Digital Marketing Masterclass offers learners with market relevant skills that enable them to thrive in the professional environment while delivering for their organizations, companies.
“Our course is well tailored for men and women who would like to conquer the world with exceptional online marketing skills, in times like today, ambitious businesses can reach customers from all over the world using Digital Marketing skills which highlights its importance. At @iLabAfrica, the program is customized to offer practical skills set coupled with training that enables our learners achieve goals in Online Marketing” said Ms Kilonzo.
Kagendo Mutegi, Digital Marketer at African Sport and Creative Institute attended a digital marketing course at Strathmore University and says the program impacted her professionally by advancing knowledge and skills.
“I personally want to venture into the entrepreneurship space, the Digital Marketing class was able to teach me how to brand myself, captivate my audience and the online business platform, the trainers were very insightful and absolutely captivating which even made me wish the course was longer” said Ms Mutegi.
Whereas mobile penetration and adoption of digital marketing practices by companies has been on the rise in the country, a shortage of well trained professionals in the sector has been evident over time.
To enroll for the Digital Marketing Masterclass at Strathmore University, kindly email rkilonzo@strathmore.edu or visit the website http://www.ilabafrica.ac.ke/index.php/digital-marketing/
@ilabAfrica-Strathmore University partners with Ukraine company to train students on block chain solutions.
THE DAWN OF A NEW PARTNERSHIP
@ilabAfrica-Strathmore University has partnered with 482.solutions, Odessa, Ukraine with the aim of providing trainings on blockchain solutions development to students at Strathmore University and other interested professionals. This training is set to equip Kenyan students with skills that will set them apart from others and provide the Kenyan market with highly skilled professionals in blockchain.
The establishment of partnerships between Strathmore University and 482.solutions became possible thanks to the assistance of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Kenya.
Blockchain technology has proven to be a catalyst across a wide variety of industries and the demand for people with Blockchain skills is very high. Many companies are looking to hire those who have the skills set to navigate this new technology. Its features of immutability, distributed nature and provenance guarantee data safety and integrity. Because of the nature of blockchain technology, hackers will have a tough time reaching all the networked nodes to tamper with any records. Blockchain technology is perfect for securing information, storage and sharing.
During the virtual MOU signing ceremony Ms. Eunice Maingi- Project coordinator in the IT Security Department and lead of the Blockchain research team, @ilabAfrica-Strathmore University said, “We are looking forward to have our first workshop in April. It will be a virtual workshop and we will have an option of making it a hybrid course for students who want to attend the course physically @iLabAfrica Strathmore University.”
Mr. Richard Otolo- Manager of the IT security research, @iLabAfrica-Strathmore University said, “After this training we can see our students engaging in projects that are focused on the industry. There are several challenges that blockchain can address like fraudulent certificates, title deeds among other key records that face major threats of fraud and tampering. The training will be a forum to upscale existing techies and to increase the number of professionals who can use this technology to combat the mentioned challenges.”
Over the years counterfeiting has become a global issue that affects a wide range of industries. Proving or disproving the authenticity and quality of an asset can quite difficult because traditional supply is complex and lacks transparency. However, if a producer or manufacturer’s goods are placed on blockchain, their origin and trail throughout the entire supply chain can be easily tracked and verified, making it difficult to pass off counterfeit products for genuine ones.
Mr. Leonid Khatskevych – Strategic Partnership Manager at 482.solutions said, “The training will offer theory and practise. Theory will be about blockchain systems in general, cryptography and about bitcoin protocol while practise will be about smart contract. Students will have an option to choose between creating of Ethereum ERC-721 token or “Voting smart contract”. He further added, “There will be our demo solution “Woden”, based on Hyperledger Fabric, where students can realize the electronic document workflow and digital voting”
Dr. Joseph Sevilla- Director @ilabAfrica, Strathmore University mentioned, “I am happy about this collaboration and I look forward to the outcomes of these trainings which will provide the Kenyan market with highly skilled professionals in blockchain. We are also looking at partnerships with government institutions to help them solve local problems by implementing blockchain solutions.”
To register for the training, Click here
Others in attendance during the signing of the MoU included; Mr. Ivan Balashov- co-founder & CFO at @482.solutions; Roman Kravchenko co-founder & CEO at 482.solutions; Alexander Kryvoruchko – co-founder & COO at 482.solutions and Ms Diana Mutua – PR and Marketing Manager @ilabAfrica- Strathmore University
@ilabAfrica-Strathmore University
@ilabAfrica is a Centre of Excellence in ICT Innovation and Development at Strathmore University. The Centre spearheads Research and Innovation in Information Communication Technology for the Development (ICT4D) of ecosystems towards the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to contribute toward Kenya’s Vision 2030. The research Centre is involved in interdisciplinary research, students’ engagement and has partnered with over 800 institutions (Universities, NGOs, foundations, and government) worldwide and other funding agencies.
About 482.solutions
482.solutions is an international software engineering provider specializing in innovative solutions using decentralized technologies. 482.solutions has offices in Ukraine and Singapore.
The key competency of 482.solutions is creating solutions for “Industry 4.0” issues; Blockchain, Future of Energy, Digital Identity, Decentralized Asset Management, Financial Products, and Services.
482.solutions mission is “We harness decentralized technology solutions that empower business and society evolution to reach a global impact.”
Importance of Cyber Security in the Telecommunication Sector
The telecommunications sector is a key contributor to most if not all of the businesses that run in the country. It is embedded in the daily activities of the businesses that are required for it to function seamlessly such as communication through email, phone calls, video calls so as to achieve their respective goals.
Telecommunication Sector and Cyber Threats
The recent advancement of digital and technological platforms have impacted the growth of the telecommunications sector, digital services and cybersecurity markets due to the increase of user presence. According to(The Telecommunications Industry in Kenya 2019: Growth in the Digital Economy, Mobile Telephony & Internet Penetration, 2020), Kenya’s telecommunications sector grew relatively strongly in 2018, supported mainly by growth in the digital economy, mobile telephone, and internet penetration.
As reported by the telecommunications report(Kenya’s telecom, digital services and cyber security sectors due for expansion, 2018), the Kenyan government identified the telecommunications industry as a key sector to aid rapid economic growth resulting in a Cumulative revenues from the telecommunications, digital services and cybersecurity markets are expected to cross $9 billion by 2022.
This has provided an opportunity for telecommunications based companies to thrive in the economy for instance Safaricom that is a leading provider of telecommunication and mobile money services in the country with over 58% of the population using these services.
Our frequent use and combined with our dependency on them make telecoms a major target for cyber criminals. It is also mentioned by (Kenya’s telecom, digital services and cyber security sectors due for expansion, 2018) that when it comes to cybersecurity the telecommunications sector is widely viewed as one of the most vulnerable to cyber security attacks.
This poses a great threat to the companies since they are trusted with sensitive customer information. Hence, these companies need to keep up with the technological trends and cyber threats in order to best prevent malicious attackers from penetrating the system and acquiring both internal company and customer information.
Referring to the growth of the telecommunications and digital services sector, (Kenya’s telecom, digital services and cyber security sectors due for expansion, 2018)mentions that growth in the telecommunication and digital services sectors have almost inevitably signifies growth for cyber security services, as an increased reliance on digitalisation brings with it a new range of threats from cyber attacks.
What are some of the cyber threats posed to the telecommunication sector?
As stated in Threat Intelligence Report for the Telecommunications Industry (Kaspersky, 2016, 4), telecommunication organizations face either direct whereby an attacker is intent on breaching the network or indirect attacks whereby their customers are targeted.
These attacks include:
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks- It is observed that the telecommunication industry faces more attacks compared to other industries. One of the more frequent attacks is the DDoS attack which can last for long periods of time.
- Compromising subscribers with social engineering, phishing or malware- Social engineering remains a popular technique used by attackers to gain information from unsuspecting victims. These can lead to either employees or the customers revealing sensitive information that can compromise the company or themselves.
- The exploitation of vulnerabilities in network and consumer devices- Vulnerabilities in networks or in android devices provides more opportunities for the attackers to exploit the systems and the devices. The use of new and sophisticated malware attacks may be difficult to detect using simple antivirus software.
- Growth of Insider threat- The insiders may assist the attackers by providing access to data or information on the network infrastructure. These employees can either participate voluntarily or forced through blackmail.
Some of the potential damages that may be experienced include:
- Credit card and identity theft
- Service interruption
- Website damages
- Loss of reputation
How can telecommunication companies improve security?
The telecommunication sector may face various challenges when it comes to cyber attacks but there are practices the companies can adopt in order to prevent, detect and mitigate these security risks before they cause damage eg finiciale damage. As mentioned before, Safaricom is a well known and profitable company that has millions of users in the country. This makes it a target for malicious attackers that may want to breach their network and system. Hence, their security needs to have as few vulnerabilities as possible. Some of the ways that the company has embraced cyber security is by having internal security practices and procedures to protect their systems and customer information.
In addition, ensuring that the employees are well trained on cyber security and the threats that they may face. For example, Safaricom gave their employees an opportunity to be well versed on cyber security issues by outsourcing training services from @iLabAfrica. The Safaricom Digital Academy allowed the employees to be educated and trained on new methodologies by which attackers use to exploit vulnerabilities and breach systems. A plethora of cyber security related topics such as Network and infrastructure security, Cryptography, Malware Analysis and Reverse engineering among others are covered. With the knowledge gained through months of training, the safaricom employees are in a better position to uphold the security measures in the company.
In agreement with (Oliinyk, 2020), Communication networks need to be resilient. Especially, as the scope, variety, and complexity of current cybersecurity threats are increasing exponentially.
Arthor: Alex Muge Osunga
IT Security Research Assistant , I.T Security Unit – @iLabAfrica
Bibliography
Kaspersky. (2016). Threat Intelligence Report for the Telecommunications Industry. 17.
Kenya’s telecom, digital services and cyber security sectors due for expansion. (2018, July 18). Consultancy.africa. https://www.consultancy.africa/news/839/kenyas-telecom-digital-services-and-cyber-security-sectors-due-for-expansion
Loyal, R. (2019, August 14). The Importance of Cyber-security in the world of Telecommunications. SecurityBoulevard. https://securityboulevard.com/2019/08/the-importance-of-cyber-security-in-the-world-of-telecommunications/
Oliinyk, A. (2020, April 7). SECURITY IN TELECOM: 5 CURRENT CYBER THREATS AND SOLUTIONS. Infopulse. (https://www.infopulse.com/blog/security-telecom-threats-and-solutions/
The Telecommunications Industry in Kenya 2019: Growth in the Digital Economy, Mobile Telephony & Internet Penetration. (2020, January 21). PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-telecommunications-industry-in-kenya-2019-growth-in-the-digital-economy-mobile-telephony–internet-penetration-300990299.html
Women in tech – Last call
WIN KSH 1,000,000 FOR YOUR BUSINESS!
Standard Chartered in partnership with @iLabAfrica has launched a search for the third cohort of women-led technology startups which will see five entrepreneurs win Sh1 million each.
The program combines world class startup support with local and international experience to provide Africa’s most competitive and attractive startup incubation program focusing on immersive learning, mentorship, building and growing Africa’s next iconic startups taking on the continent’s most relevant challenges and opportunities
- be a woman
- be the CEO with equal or majority ownership in the company
- 18 and above
- of Kenyan nationality
- Agribusiness
- Education
- ICT
- E-Commerce
- E-Health
- Fintech
- Three months incubation at Strathmore University’s leading business and innovation incubator- @iBizAfrica
- Mentorship from world class mentors
- Coaching by top business, technology and legal professionals
- Immersive, world-class entrepreneurship curriculum
- Networking and exposure to expand your business networks
- USD 10,000 or KES 1,000,000 equity-free grant seed funding for the top 5 winners
- 9 months ongoing support from Standard Chartered and @iBizAfrica to assist with go-to market and scale.
- Participants must be physically available to attend the program over the three months incubation
- Participant accommodation costs are not catered for
| Application deadline | 4th November 2019 |
For more information Click here
To Apply click here
Strathmore, WPP Scangroup and Google in Partnership To Boost Youth Employment And Enrich University Curriculum
On 31st August, 2015, Listed marketing and communications services group ,WPP Scangroup signed a 5 year Memorandum of Understanding with Strathmore University via @iLabAfrica that will see the group offer internship to over 200 students from the university contributing towards job creation.
This partnership will allow for close collaboration between Strathmore, WPP Scangroup and Google in developing a curriculum for a Digital Marketing course to be offered by Strathmore as a way of promoting technology incubation and growth in Kenya.
This MoU is aimed at providing a boost to the education sector, through a partnership with Google that will see the partners develop a curriculum for a Digital Marketing course to be offered by Strathmore University.
Set to commence in September 2015, the partnership is designed to provide internship opportunities for students that have completed their courses at Strathmore University. A select group of new graduates will intern either in advertising, digital marketing, public relations and research enabling them to get skills and work experience under WPP Scangroup.
Speaking at the MoU signing, WPP Scangroup CEO Bharat Thakrar welcomed the partnership saying that Strathmore is a reputable and world-class university with a spectacular Research and Innovation Technology Lab – @iLabAfrica. He said that hiring the best from the institution would ensure growth and sustainability in line with the group’s vision of developing marketing and communications across Sub Saharan Africa.
“Our aim is to provide students with skills and a sense of professionalism that complements their classroom knowledge. In addition to this, we would like to show the younger population that there are exciting opportunities available in Kenya as they venture into the work space”, said Mr. Thakrar.
The latest statistics from the Youth Employment in Africa conference held in 2014 revealed that Kenya’s youth aged between 15-34 years form 35% of the population and have the highest unemployment rate of 67%.
“Stabilizing the growing future workforce is essential for economic growth. The partnership with WPP Scangroup will see attraction and possibly the retention of the best talent that graduates from our university. This important initiative will ultimately improve the strength, relevance and competitiveness of Kenya’s younger workforce”, said Dr. Sevilla, Director – @iLabAfrica.
The MoU also provides for strong capacity building and knowledge transfer for Strathmore through regular workshops and seminars with WPP Scangroup. Senior managers, experts, lecturers and students will have a platform to explore global and regional trends and insights in the digital, research and communication world providing current case studies to aid in tutoring.
Human Resource Managers in Kenya have recently noted that the skills acquired by college and university graduates often do not meet the expectation of employers. Such initiatives will strengthen and scale up quality of graduates from Strathmore University.
We are very excited to be partnering with Strathmore and WPP-Scangroup to help them develop a world-class digital skills training curriculum, said the Google Kenya Country Manager, Charles Murito during the launch, adding that he was confident that the partnership would go a long way towards addressing the lack of skills in the digital marketing space in Kenya.
It is envisaged that this course will spur new ideas and innovations as more Kenyans understand and integrate Digital Marketing in business and commerce.
“We look forward to actualizing this partnership and WPP Scangroup will continue investing in partnerships that contribute to the growth of Kenya’s socio-economic fabric”, added Mr. Thakrar.
About Scangroup
WPP Scangroup is a subsidiary of WPP and is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. It is the largest marketing and communication group operating a multi-agency model across multiple disciplines in sub Saharan Africa. Specifically, the group comprises of the advertising agencies Ogilvy & Mather, SCANAD, JWT and BluePrint Marketing; media firms GroupM, MediaCom Africa, Mindshare and MEC; public relations agencies H+K Strategies and Ogilvy PR; market research agency Millward Brown and digital companies OgilvyOne, Squad Digital and SCANAD Digital. In all, over 1200 people are employed across the various organizations.
Disclaimer: This article was shared to @iLabAfrica by Scangroup
@iLabAfrica 