Safaricom and the ICT Authority have announced the graduation of the first cohort from the Connect Academy. 48 trainees completed the three month fibre deployment programme. According to Safaricom, 98% have already secured roles within the company or with its ecosystem partners.
The academy was launched during the 2024 Connected Africa Summit to address one of the industry’s growing concerns. Kenya is expanding its digital infrastructure at a fast pace, yet the supply of skilled fibre technicians has not kept up with demand. The Connect Academy was created to close this skills gap by training young people on the technical work that keeps modern connectivity running.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said the academy reflects the company’s long term vision to support Kenya’s digital growth. He noted that a digitally enabled future depends on people who understand how to build and maintain the networks behind it.
The first cohort was drawn from Safaricom’s existing technician base, recommendations from the Connected Africa Summit and community applicants. The selection approach was meant to keep the programme open and accessible while ensuring that trainees represented different backgrounds. Over the three months, participants received hands-on technical instruction, guidance from industry mentors and exposure to real work scenarios.
Zilpher Owiti, Acting CEO of the ICT Authority, said the partnership aligns with Kenya’s national objective to strengthen the ICT workforce. “By ensuring alignment of training with industry needs, the Connect Academy is helping to create a continuous pipeline of skilled technicians who will drive Kenya’s digital infrastructure expansion in the coming years,” he said.
Why This Matters
Kenya’s digital transformation has accelerated in recent years. Investments in fibre networks, cloud infrastructure and data centres continue to grow, and the coming years will require thousands of new skilled workers to keep these systems operating efficiently.
Safaricom’s partnership with Meta on a new submarine cable, announced in October, is a good example of the direction the industry is heading. As Kenya prepares to host more international connectivity routes, improve redundancy and support bandwidth-heavy services, the need for reliable network technicians becomes even more important. A single cable landing influences cloud performance, data centre growth, enterprise connectivity and even the stability of services used by millions of Kenyans. Without a well trained workforce managing the physical layer of infrastructure, the broader digital economy cannot scale.
The Connect Academy is positioned to support this moment. It focuses specifically on fibre deployment, an area where the country has seen rising demand as homes, businesses and government services move deeper into digital operations.
What Comes Next
Safaricom and the ICT Authority plan to launch Cohort 2 in January. Both organisations say they will refine the curriculum based on industry feedback to keep the programme aligned with market needs. The aim is to prepare more young people for long term careers in digital infrastructure and to contribute to Kenya’s goal of building a competitive and future ready ICT workforce.
With employment outcomes already strong, the Connect Academy adds to the list of talent development initiatives shaping Kenya’s technology landscape. Others include Huawei’s DigiTruck programme, which has trained thousands of youth on essential digital skills since 2019. Together, these efforts show a growing recognition that Kenya’s digital future will be built not only through investment in technology, but also through investment in people who can operate and advance it.
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