Remarks as prepared

Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, Dr. Fred Matiangi; 
CEO of the Kenya Information and Communications Technology Authority, Mr. Victor Kyalo;
Mr. Danie Steyn, East Africa General Manager, Intel;
Wairimu Kagondu, Senior Program Associate, Rockefeller Foundation;

Wamuyu Mahinda, Founder and CEO, The Youth Banner;

Sanjay Daramshi, Director, Safari Connect Ltd.;

Private Sector and Government of Kenya colleagues;

Invited Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am happy to be here to join the Cabinet Secretary and our partners as we introduce Intel’s She Will Connect activities in Kenya.

The findings of the “Women and the Web” study, commissioned by Intel in collaboration with the U.S. Government, show that we have an enormous opportunity to realize economic growth and productivity in African countries by closing the gender gap that currently exists in accessing the Internet. 

That is why I am happy to announce that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will be investing $1.5 million to support women and girls’ access to the Internet in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.  We are proud partners of the Women and the Web Global Alliance, along with Intel Corporation, NetHope, World Pulse, World Vision, UN Women, and Women in Technology in Nigeria. Together, the partners have pledged $8 million towards these important efforts.

She Will Connect will create new entrepreneurship opportunities for young women and provide social networking platforms.  Internet skills will help them access health and education information, provide economic opportunities, utilize e-government services, and access national and global news.  With these tools, young women will have a better chance to increase their income, receive a better education, play a greater role in the political arena and have a stronger voice in their communities.
The United States has been a close partner of Kenya for more than fifty years.  Promoting education and women’s empowerment has always been a core principle of our partnership. Helping girls and women realize their full potential is key to helping Kenya achieve its goal of becoming a middle-income country.  She Will Connect joins other USAID-funded programs supporting girls and young women in Kenya. 

For example, the Global Giveback Circle provides 600 young women from all 47 counties with scholarships to access tertiary education.  They also receive one-on-one mentoring, life skills, information and communications technology training, and financial literacy skills. Each semester, scholarship recipients are involved in service projects that are changing their colleges and their communities.

Last year, President Obama launched the Young African Leaders Initiative, also known as YALI, to support young African men and women to spearhead growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa.

Forty-six of these young leaders from Kenya were selected to join the Mandela Washington Fellows program this summer in the United States.  As the Kenyan Fellows return home and integrate their new skills, experiences and resources into their work, we hope to see the Mandela Fellows and the young women involved in She Will Connect come together, network, share ideas and resources…and build a stronger, more prosperous, more stable Kenya.

In conclusion I want to thank all the partners who have joined USAID in pooling resources to support this great program.

Asanteni Sana!