Over 400 participants attending ITU's Global ICT Capacity Building Symposium (CBS-2016, Nairobi, 6-8 September) pledged continued commitment to education and training in information and communications technologies (ICTs) to help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by leveraging major digital technology transformation.
The Symposium, opened by His Excellency William Ruto, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, welcomed Ministers, Directors-General, Regulatory Authorities, academics, entrepreneurs, and students from around the world, who engaged in discussions on future priorities for capacity building, new skills requirements in a fast changing ICT environment, and new ways of learning in the digital era.
The event included a Ministerial Roundtable, a Leaders Dialogue and a high-level visit to Nairobi's largest centre of technology innovation hubs, featuring iHUB, mLAB, Gearbox, BRCK and many other leading and innovative companies in the field of ICT. The visit was hosted by the Kenyan government.
The focus on digital entrepreneurship also saw a group of young innovators take the stage during the symposium to present ground-breaking ICT innovations and show how these could improve the delivery of education and training. The CBS Young Innovator award was conferred to Duncan Mochama, business development manager of BRCK. BRCK is a Kenyan tech company known for its Kio Kit, which includes a rugged tablet which can run for 8 hours straight on a single charge and was designed for African schoolchildren to have access to digital tools for better learning.
"This Capacity Building Symposium marked the start of an important discussion on new skill requirements in the digital era, particularly in the context of working towards achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals," said Brahima Sanou. "Kenya is today a renowned tech-hub and a model for ICT innovation. It is a great example for us and, especially, for young people and future generations of leaders in developing countries.''
The closing day of the Symposium saw awards given to ITU partners in recognition of their long-standing partnership with ITU in the field of capacity building. The recipients included Cisco, the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) and the United Kingdom Telecommunications Academy (UKTA).
An exhibition showcasing capacity building projects across the world and best practices from academia and industry was also a highlight of the event.
Two pre-events were held on 5 September 2016. The first pre-event was dedicated to "Capacity Building in Internet Governance" and the second pre-event was dedicated to "Regulators as Enablers and Consumers of Capacity Building".