Author: SARA OKUORO
AfricaPress-Kenya: The government of Kenya is seeking to collaborate with Kenyans in the diaspora to carry out research and to strengthen the diaspora data bank.
Speaking to a global audience during a webinar facilitated by the Kenya Diaspora Alliance, Public Service Principal Secretary Mary Kimonye, said that the government is keen on implementing “Building back better”, a theme by President Uhuru that calls upon all citizens to work together towards the betterment of the nation.
“The Kenyan Government has identified a need to collaborate with the diaspora community to strengthen research efforts in the country and also the diaspora data bank,” said PS Kimonye.
She said state departments are embracing automated performance contracting where employees are evaluated on targets signed. She also noted there was minimal disruption of delivery of public services as a result of the pandemic.
“We have had a Covid committee bringing together key stakeholders who formulated policy guidelines to ensure no disruption of services in the public sector. There has been little disruptions which were occasioned in the first week when Covid-19 containment measures were announced,” she said.
Speaking at the same webinar dubbed “The future of work, diaspora and gender prospects”, Dr Kate Getao CEO of the ICT Authority of Kenya (ICTA), said that the new norm occasioned by the pandemic has forced the workforce to adapt to the changing practices currently defining the workplace.
“We need to break out of the straight jacket, to implementation of ideas, even in manufacturing and embrace diversity in every person. The positive thing about Covid-19 is that we have been given the power to change the way we work and also create more work especially in the digital realm,” she said.
Bernadette Lewis the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), said that due to the pandemic, the speed of innovation has been accelerated.
“We have been forced to embrace ICT in order to function and operate normally. Repetitive action based jobs, are likely to be replaced by technology. We need to be pro-active so that we are not replaced, or displaced,” she said.
Professor Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director for Africa International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that there is need for the government to tap into the expertise of the diaspora community, in order to attain the Vision 2030 nuclear energy goals.
“I would like to urge the government to take advantage of the expertise of the diaspora in in order to adapt the knowledge and customize it for energy needs in the country,” he stated.
The webinar had participants from around the world, with panelists drawn from the government and international community; and sought to demystify the changing work environment and what it means for the diaspora and the African continent.
