Using technology to bring healthcare to patients across the country.

By Alex O. Awiti, Caleb Orwa, Lucy Mbuvi & Mercy Karumba

The aim of this study was to generate evidence to support reliable assessment of the skills and competences possessed by youth in entry-level jobs (the supply), and the skills and competences needed by employers (the demand).​

The study was conducted in 24 counties, which are home to over 85% of Kenya’s formal sector business establishments . Fifteen sectors, comprising agriculture, wholesale & retail, construction, health and ICT, which account for 90% of jobs in both formal and informal sector, were included in the survey. A total of 9,355 interviews were conducted; 6,362 employed youth and 693 self-employed youth aged between 18 and 30 years both in the formal and informal sector, and 2,300 employers from formal and informal sectors.

The study revealed that Kenya’s labour markets are shaped by the dominance of sectors such as wholesale and retail, food and accommodation services and transport, which account for most jobs created in the economy. Consequently, it appears that there is less demand for hard, technical skills compared to skills such as marketing and sales and entrepreneurship.

Guest blog: R. Bong Vergara is the founder and director for CYPHER Impact Investment Exchange (CYPHER X), a California nonprofit focused on the investment readiness of women-led startups.

Low investment flow and poor investment readiness impede the participation of women entrepreneurs in the technology field, thus, in advancing the STI framework for local Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation. Only 2% of funded startups are women-led. If women startups are to fully contribute to the low-carbon transition, it is important to eliminate low investment flow and poor investment readiness as gendered and racialized barriers. Doing so requires strategies that are participatory, inclusive, and creative.

Guest blog by Nick O'Connor of Exponential Investor subscribe here
Nick O'Connor is the publisher of Southbank Investment Research, one of Britain's leading publishers of independent financial advice and alternative ideas. Southbank Investment Research is one of The Agora Companies, a global network of private publishing companies with roots going back to 1978.After becoming Associate Publisher in 2015, Nick was instrumental in exposing the state’s plans to abolish cash – publishing The War on Cash with Tim Price, and personally bringing a petition with more than 10,000 signatures to Parliament.

Here’s a prediction for you: Greta Thunberg is creating three of the world’s most important future trends. Simultaneously. And largely without meaning to.

Trend one, her movement will (intentionally) create the world’s first mainstream global political movement. A cross-border political party. The kids skipping school today will make up its voter base. They’ll probably have time on their hands, too, since they decided activism beats education.

Trend two, this cross-border party – or perhaps union is a better term, or grand alliance – will bring about the first “world taxes”. That is, taxes applied directly to the people universally, to pay for a global initiative. Carbon taxes, most likely.

Guest blog by Alistair Scrutton and Kelsey Simpkins of Future Earth

Three of the world’s foremost scientists will co-chair a commission of leading international experts to identify risks and develop a coherent suite of scientific targets to protect Earth’s life support systems.

Johan Rockström, Joyeeta Gupta, and Dahe Qin will co-chair the Earth Commission, comprising an initial 19 members, announced today by the international research organization Future Earth.

The group will begin immediately – and complete by 2021 – a high-level synthesis of scientific knowledge on the biophysical processes that regulate Earth’s stability and targets to ensure this stability. The commission will also explore social transformations required for sustainable development to reach these targets.

Zaheer Fakir - written as a global citizen and sustainable development practitioner

Disclaimer: These points are merely my observations and in no way whatsoever am I passing any judgment as to whether they are good or bad. Its is for you to draw your own conclusions.

My observations are:

1. Taxation, Debt, blended finance, capital markets, Bankers and Capitalist are the climate change Messiahs.

2. Grant's and Development assistance are becoming threatened and rare species while loans and other non-grant instruments are proliferating at scale.

3. The historical sinners absolve themselves of their original sin and the victims of their actions are being made responsible to share their burden and build their resilience.

4. The notion of vulnerability has been incentivised, so much so that it has become akin to cannibalism in a time of climate finance famine.