On Wednesday, Google committed $10 million (Ksh1.1 billion) to support Kenya’s economic recovery, battered by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“To continue to support the economic recovery in Kenya, we are committing an additional $10 million to go towards loans for small businesses, support for tech startups, and grants for underserved communities,” said Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and Alphabet.
He said the company will do more to help more people and companies in Kenya and around Africa in the future.
On Wednesday, Mr Pichai joined President Uhuru Kenyatta at a digital event hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa.
Of the $10 million, some $2 million will go towards local nonprofits via Google.org, to enable communities recover from the pandemic; $3 million will be provided as loans to small business to assist business people get through the economic crisis generated by Covid-19; while $5 million will be utilized to aid Kenyan tech startups.
According to The EastAfrican, in September 2020, Google declared support for African businesses, job seekers and educational institutions in navigating the pandemic. To date, by building Google Business Profiles and business sites for them, the company has worked with more than 300,000 small and medium-sized businesses to digitize their businesses and provide them with an online presence.
Twenty Kenyan technology-enabled companies have fulfilled the Google for Startups Accelerator programmes, where entrepreneurs acquire access to Google’s mentors, products and best practices. Through Google for Education, more than 2,000 teachers, educators and guardians have been equipped on remote teaching and learning, and online safety, reports The EastAfrican.
