The Creative Industry is the Future for Kenyan Youths
Earlier last year, the Kenyan president, HE William Ruto, held meetings with global stakeholders in the digital industry, including Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc. He also met with Byte Dance management, owners of apps like TikTok. These meetings centered on one main agenda: monetization of content.
The efforts put into content monetization have led to the drafting of the Creating Industries Bill of 2024. The bill aims to support and expand the creative sector by encouraging investments in creative education and infrastructure. It highlights the importance of integrating creative education with economic and technological advancements, ensuring graduates are well-equipped to contribute to Kenya’s growing creative economy.
With the rising unemployment rate among youth, which stood at 12.15% in 2022, the creative industry offers a promising avenue for self-employment and prosperity. The government has recognized this potential and introduced the competency-based curriculum (CBC). This curriculum focuses on equipping learners with skills and competencies rather than solely on rote memorization. It aims to develop students' practical skills, critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to apply knowledge in real-life situations, shaping the future of Kenya.
At Talanta Institute, we provide comprehensive courses in fine arts, including TV and film production, music production, graphic design, and animation, among others. One of our partners, Eddie Butita, accompanied the president on a state visit to the United States, showcasing the government’s commitment to the creative industry.
In March this year, Eddie Butita, speaking at State House during the president’s meeting with the Facebook management team on monetization, advised the president to organize workshops and training sessions for Kenyan content creators to utilize Meta’s monetization tools.
The advent of Artificial Intelligence provides youth with free tools and programs to edit their content for monetization. For example, imagcreator.ai is an AI program that allows users to produce and edit high-quality photos for free, which can be converted into short reels and posted on social media.
At Talanta Institute, we equip our students with the knowledge and skills required in the creative industry, meeting market demands for monetization. We nurture their creativity to ensure their content remains unique, viewing AI as a resource rather than a threat.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon the youth to take advantage of the ongoing transition into the creative industry. Pursuing relevant courses and utilizing the available tools and programs for content monetization and career development can pave the way for a prosperous future.
By Patrick Kuria,
Talanta Institute, Kenya
Leave a comments