The International Labour Organization (ILO), supported by the Government of the Netherlands under the PROSPECTS Partnership, has launched a digital skills and employment programme in Kenya with Power Learn Project Africa, Microsoft and the Turkana County Government, targeting refugee and host community youth in Turkana and Garissa counties.

The programme was launched on 1 July 2026 in Kakuma, Turkana County, according to a joint press release by the partners. It aims to equip participants with digital skills, professional certifications and transition support into employment, entrepreneurship and remote work opportunities.

Under a 25-week blended learning model, the initiative will reach 1,700 learners across Turkana and Garissa. Training will be delivered by Power Learn Project in partnership with local digital hubs, community-based organisations, refugee-led organisations and local implementation partners, the statement said. The programme will also provide up to 1,000 Microsoft certification vouchers to enable participants to earn globally recognised credentials.

The launch comes as stakeholders push to broaden access to digital skills beyond major urban centres, amid rising demand for job-ready talent in technology and digitally enabled roles. The press release cited projections that Kenya’s digital economy will contribute KES 662.3 billion (US$5.1 billion) to GDP by 2028, while noting that skills mismatches remain a barrier to inclusive growth.

In the statement, the partners also linked the programme to wider labour market challenges. “Each year, more than one million young people enter the labour market with the potential to fill these gaps,” the press release said, adding that without formal skills, participation in the digital economy is limited and that “more than two thirds of Kenyan youth remain unemployed.” The release did not cite a specific source for the unemployment estimate.

Caroline Khamati Mugalla, Director, ILO Country Office for the United Republic of Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, said digital transformation is changing labour markets rapidly and could deepen exclusion in refugee-hosting communities if access to skills is not expanded. “The ILO is committed to ensuring that technological change advances decent work, rights at work, and inclusive labour market participation,” Mugalla said. She added that investing in “market-relevant, internationally recognised digital skills for these communities is a sound labour market investment.”

The curriculum is structured in two tracks, according to the press release. An intermediate track focuses on foundational digital and workplace skills, while an advanced track supports specialisation in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence and data analytics aligned to Microsoft certification pathways.

Winnie Karanu, AI Skills Director, Microsoft Elevate, said the partnership is intended to link training to recognised credentials and employment outcomes. “Digital skills are the foundation for inclusive growth, but access remains uneven, particularly in underserved communities,” Karanu said, adding that the initiative aims to connect learners “not just to training, but to globally recognised certification and real pathways into employment.”

Mumbi Ndung’u, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Power Learn Project Africa, said the programme is designed to extend access to digital opportunity for refugee and host community youth. “This partnership speaks directly to our mission,” Ndung’u said, adding that it is aimed at ensuring Kenya’s digital transformation is “inclusive by design.”

Beyond training, the partners said employment transition is a core outcome. Graduates will receive career readiness support and linkages to employers and other opportunities facilitated by Power Learn Project and its partners, according to the statement.

For Kenya’s business landscape, the initiative underscores growing interest in county-based digital talent pipelines, particularly in regions that have limited access to training infrastructure. If implemented at scale, such programmes could support local innovation ecosystems, expand the pool of entry-level digital workers and improve employability for communities around major refugee settlements.

The partners did not disclose the programme budget or timelines for certification issuance and placement outcomes. They said implementation will be delivered through a network of local hubs and organisations, with training and transition support continuing through the programme cycle.

Gulf Energy E&P BV has reaffirmed plans to invest nearly KES 774 billion (US$6 billion) in Kenya’s South Lokichar oil development in Turkana County and said it is targeting first crude production by December 1, 2026, as Parliament prepares to consider the project’s Field Development Plan (FDP) and production-sharing agreements.

Gulf Energy E&P BV Chairman Francis Njogu made the commitments while appearing before a Joint Parliamentary Committee of Energy meeting held as part of a public participation process ahead of the FDP ratification. The session was jointly chaired by National Assembly Departmental Committee on Energy chair David Gikaria and Senate Standing Committee on Energy vice chair Senator William Kisang.

The company is seeking parliamentary ratification in the coming weeks, a step it says is necessary to advance the project toward a Final Investment Decision (FID) and eventual production.

The South Lokichar project, located in Turkana County, is viewed as Kenya’s most advanced onshore oil development following years of exploration and appraisal in the basin. Gulf Energy told lawmakers the FDP and the production-sharing agreements place emphasis on local content, community engagement and alignment of benefits among stakeholders.

Njogu said the company’s plans include what it described as strict adherence to a “ring-fenced Local Content Strategy” and social investments intended to generate longer-term socio-economic benefits for Turkana and the wider economy.

“At Gulf Energy, we are approaching this FDP as Kenyans with a view to creating as many jobs and business opportunities for Kenyans, starting with our Turkana host community, as are committed to positioning Kenya as an oil-producing country. We are very ready, and we have set 1st December, 2026, as a target to produce oil, and we hope to expeditiously secure the FDP ratification,” Njogu said.

He told the committee Gulf Energy E&P BV is indigenously owned and has “strong financial resources” to support capital-intensive developments. Njogu added that the company has “robust financial partnerships and active lines of credit with leading local and international banking and financial institutions,” though he did not name the lenders.

“The South Lokichar project and the FDP we have presented to the Government present a technically mature pathway to unlock Kenya’s largest onshore petroleum development in a shared prosperity model,” Njogu said.

The company also referenced a cost recovery proposal included in the FDP, which it said had been approved by Cabinet Secretary for Petroleum and Energy Opiyo Wandayi in November. Njogu said the fiscal measures proposed in the FDP are required to meet investment and bankability thresholds for the FID.

On government revenues, the press release cited projections by the Government of Kenya of potential earnings ranging between KES 135.45 billion (US$1.05 billion at US$60 per barrel) and KES 374.1 billion (US$2.9 billion at US$70 per barrel) over the project’s life.

Njogu urged lawmakers to move quickly, arguing that the global financing environment for upstream oil is tightening. He said international lenders are increasingly restricting hydrocarbon financing in line with climate commitments and shifting capital toward lower-carbon energy.

“As a result, frontier oil projects such as South Lokichar must demonstrate strong economics, robust fiscal stability, and timely decision-making to remain competitive for capital. Any prolonged uncertainty risks placing Kenya at a disadvantage relative to other emerging oil provinces that are actively adjusting their fiscal terms to secure investment before this window closes,” he said.

Under the production-sharing contract framework, Njogu said the State retains ownership of the resource while the contractor provides technical capability and risk capital to bring it to production.

Parliament is expected to deliberate on the FDP and the production-sharing agreements before deciding on ratification in the coming weeks.