Kenya unveils flagship BPO policy for digital jobs

by MARIA MACHARIA
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – THE launch of the National Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Policy and the National Green Skills and Jobs Strategy is a major step towards positioning Kenya as a competitive destination for digital services, green jobs and future-ready industries.

The government and the private sector unveiled the initiatives at a two-day forum that ended on Thursday to mark the annual World Youth Skills Day, under the theme, “Skills for a Shared Future.”

Stakeholders said the launch also underscored Kenya’s commitment to equipping its young population with future-ready skills while strengthening the country’s position as Africa’s leading destination for BPO, Global Business Services (GBS) and digitally enabled jobs.

Alfred Mutua, Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection, delivering the keynote address, said digitalisation, globalisation, demographic shifts and the green transition were rapidly reshaping the world of work, making it necessary for Kenya to equip its youth with future-ready, market-relevant skills.

He highlighted the strategic role of BPO and GBS in accelerating youth employment and positioning Kenya as a competitive destination for such services.

“Relevant skills are essential for driving employment, entrepreneurship and productivity among our young people,” Mutua said.

He said the National BPO Policy provided a framework for creating more opportunities for school-to-work transition, while work-based learning remained one of the most effective ways of equipping young people with the real-world experience needed to succeed in today’s labour market.

BPO comprises the delegation of non-core, repetitive tasks, such as call centre operations, to third-party vendors. GBS builds on this by centralising these functions internally as shared services, integrating diverse operations such as information technology, human resources and finance into a single, value-adding corporate ecosystem.

The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) is a strategic partner.

Its contributions to the development of the National BPO Policy include the implementation of demand-driven initiatives such as the Ajira Digital Programme, a decade-long government initiative to empower more than 1 million young people annually by connecting them to the gig economy and online freelancing.

Anne Waweru, Digital Work Specialist at KEPSA, said unlocking digital talent was not the responsibility of young people alone.

“It requires industry, government, educators and development partners working together to create opportunities, strengthen work-based learning and prepare young people for the jobs of the future,” she said.

– CAJ News