Finance assistant minister Dr Oburu Odinga has urged Kenyans to embrace Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to be at the same level with the rest of the world.Dr Odinga was speaking in Zambia after he paid a courtesy call on the Kenyan High Commissioner to the country Lazarus Amayo, who was hosting the Kenyan delegation attending the eLearning Africa conference.
“We were born during the PO BOX times but now the world has changed and the economy is developing at a faster rate through ICTs. The youth are challenging us and this is the reason why we should embrace this technology for us to be at the same level with the rest of the world,” he said, amid laughter from the delegates.The minister said ICT was one factor among the vision 2030 projects of the Government and called on Kenyans to take more interest in the eLearning activities.

Meanwhile, the High Commissioner noted that bilateral trade between Kenya and Zambia was on the rise and urged more Kenyans to look for opportunities abroad. Amayo , who will be returning to Kenya next month after serving his four year term as the High commissioner for Zambia encouraged the people to consider taking up courses like repairs and technical, apart from University degrees, so that they are able to secure jobs in different parts of the world. He called on Kenyans to explore and engage in business activities outside the country but always invest in their own country. Also present at the event was Mark Matunga, Education and Citizenship Program Manager, Microsoft East and Southern Africa.

“Microsoft has a commitment to promote ICT in education not only in Kenya and Africa, but around the world. eLearning is the present and future, and is a key tool to transforming education in the 21st century. Through many of the digital inclusion programmes, Microsoft continues to partner with education stakeholders such as ministries of Education, teachers, students and education managers and a cross section of many actors to accelerate eLearning so as to improve the quality of teaching and learning. In the area of curriculum delivery, teachers  need to be enabled, to effectively integrate ICT teaching  and learning”, said Matunga. “It is for this reason that Microsoft has elected to partner with the Ministry of Education and the Kenya Institute of Education to set up the Schools Technology Innovation Centre-STIC, at KIE to support Curriculum development in the 21st Century.”

Others Present at the event were the High Commisioner’s wife, Nelly Amayo,  International Conference, Workshops and Events (ICWE) Africa Managing Director  Leonard Oloo, Computer Aid International Assitant Director Africa programme  Gladys Mhunyo, Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) managing Director  Eve Obara, First Administration Counsellor at the Kenyan High Commission in Zambia Vincent Ongere and representatives from the ministries of Education, Information and Communication,  Gender  and Youth Affairs, among others.