Jackie Ogonji, Chair PDTP Council,
Director General, School of Government
Ag CEO, ICT Authority,
PDTP Cohort III interns,
Ladies & gentlemen,
Good morning.
Allow me to sincerely thank Madam Jackie Ogonji and the entire PDTP council for providing leadership to the program which is in its third cycle as we induct the 400 successful candidates this morning.
So far, the first and second PDTP Cohort have made tremendous contribution to service delivery in government in the different government ministries, departments and agencies they were posted into.
Allow me to mention two key areas and that is the digitization of records at the Ministry of Lands and the 2017 national examinations.
By investing in the PDT Program, the Government of Kenya keen on the sustainability of implementing its digital strategy to facilitate online application and payments of key services, which has already kicked off.
Ulitimately and through e-government efforts, the Government of Kenya is moving Kenyans into a smart government where all payments will be cashless. This digital transformation is aimed at reducing costs, eliminating corruption and increasing both efficiency and effectiveness.
Ladies & gentlemen,
ICT is the vehicle that will make Kenyans realise a 24-hour economy as envisioned in Kenya’s development blueprint Vision 2030. ICT will enable government provide Kenyans seamless services in addition to giving them an opportunity to access Government services anytime at their convenience. This is already happening on the e-citizen platform that Kenyans as already utilizing to access services such as payment of land rates, renewal of driving licenses and other remittances hosted on that platform.
And so to the 400 inductees present this morning,you are the bearers of this digital promise and you are the human capital that will finalise our journey as a country towards a smart government.
This is possible because the Presidential Digital Talent Program (PDTP) is the most transformative ICT program ever conceived in Kenya. Through this Program, you will sharpen your ICT skills beyond what you learnt at the university. The professional and technical skills from my mentors drawn from both government and the private sector will transfer a lot of knowledge which you need in your job experience.
I therefore charge you to believe you bear the digital promise for our nation.
This is in line with the ICT Master Plan, PDTP is the program that is geared towards equipping our young ICT graduates with hands – on ICT skills. This will go a long way on closing the gaps in innovation, job experience, training and certification which employers always look for in fresh graduates.
I therefore,wish you well in your training and look forward to seeing your contribution to the nation.Thank you
DATED MONDAY 16TH APRIL 2018