Sama has announced ambitions to hire and teach 2,000 young people and women to work on computer vision projects for prominent Fortune 500 organisations. These projects will be for clients of Sama’s client company, Sama Vision.
Training in computer vision and data labelling services, a sector that is in high demand among AI developers and machine learning (ML) experts throughout the world, will be provided to the 2,000 new staff that Sama hires. They will work on a variety of projects, one of which will be tagging photos and videos for use in machine learning algorithms as part of the upstream process of producing AI data.
In addition, participants will receive training in “soft skills,” which includes instruction in communication, teamwork, and problem-solving techniques.
The company is making investments in the potential of young people and women in order to reduce the unemployment rate in Kenya and strengthen the country’s position in the artificial intelligence value chain.
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The Principal Secretary of ICT speaks
Speaking during the introduction of the empowerment project, John Tanui, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Information and Communications Technology and the Digital Economy, extended his congratulations to the Sama team for their dedication to the expansion of the Kenyan economy.
“The Kenyan government is very keen to grow the digital economy. We are looking at areas of innovation and technology. The global demographic gives us an advantage since we have the strength of the youth. We appreciate what Sama is doing to provide global opportunities for our youth,” said Tanui.
Tanui further stated that” From the government side, we have embarked on foundational projects that will facilitate the growth of the economy. One of them is enhancing national connectivity to ensure that every citizen across the country has a chance to access these global opportunities by adding 100,000 kilometres of fibre that is going to open most parts of our country,” said Tanui.
Comments from Sama’s Executives
During her remarks at the forum, Ms. Annepeace Alwala, Vice President of Global Service Delivery for Sama, stated that the digital economy has emerged as a force that is transforming the world as a whole and that Kenya is in a good position to contribute to the creation of a more inclusive AI ecosystem where everyone has the opportunity to make a meaningful impact.
According to what she mentioned, the most important aspect of Sama’s purpose is to assist underserved communities in realising their full potential by equipping them with the resources and training they need to flourish in the rapidly transforming digital landscape.
Sama plans to close the digital divide and lay the basis for long-term economic expansion in Nairobi by concentrating its efforts on underprivileged young people and women in the city.
“Through this initiative, we are not only creating employment opportunities for Kenyan youths but also ensuring that Kenya plays a significant role in shaping the future of AI development. Together, we are fostering innovation, creating opportunities, and building a brighter future where Kenyan talent fuels the global AI revolution,” Ms Alwala said.
The first 600 people to participate in this programme in Nairobi have already been hired, and they are now in the process of receiving their training. The hiring process for the remaining 1,500 participants will take place over the next few weeks. The new cohort will become part of Sama’s dynamic team in Nairobi, which already has over 3,000 employees, and will work on computer vision AI projects for some of the most successful firms in the world.
The Sama Kenya Impact Manager, Liliosa Mbirimi, stated that they will be able to have an even more beneficial impact on the people of Kenya and the earth as a whole as a result of the efforts that they are currently putting out.
She went on to say that persons from underserved regions might receive training and decent career opportunities through the digital economy thanks to Samasource, which the woman founded.