ESTDEV Recruits Kenyan Team

The Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) has recruited Victoria Nkatha as Project Manager for Capacity Building and Christopher Waweru as project Manager for E-governance making them the first local team to be hired by the foundation in one of its partner countries.

Formed in 2021, ESTDEV, a government-funded foundation is responsible for managing and implementing Estonia’s international development cooperation and humanitarian assistance projects.

Announcing the new team, ESTDEV said the on-the-ground project managers will enable a major step forward in achieving the objectives of Team Europe Kenya as well as increasing the visibility of Estonian development cooperation in Kenya.

“Christopher will mainly work on e-solution building issues, such as the development of a technical interoperability framework for e-government and the piloting of human-centred e-services. Victoria’s responsibilities include coordinating training programmes and strengthening dialogue between government stakeholders,” the organization said.

Katrin Winter, ESTDEV’s Regional Head of Africa said: “Kenya is one of the priority countries for Estonia’s development cooperation goals of using digitalisation to make a positive change in the society. With an increasing number of engagements with Kenya and a growing number of impactful projects, it was important to establish a more permanent presence on the ground. I wish Chris and Victoria a heartfelt welcome and I am truly grateful that we have found such motivated individuals to help us implement our projects and represent ESTDEV in Kenya.”

“For the first time, ESTDEV has recruited a local team who are aware of the local context and can ensure the delivery of project activities. Christopher and Victoria impressed us with their wide network and extensive experience. Their role in the successful implementation of ESTDEV-Kenya projects is crucial. We will do everything we can to help them settle into their new roles as project managers, and wish them the strength to be, among other things, Estonia’s digital ambassadors in Kenya,” emphasised Andres Ääremaa, ESTDEV’s Programme Manager for Digital Transformation.

As an international partner, ESTDEV concentrates its efforts in areas where Estonia has specific added value to offer, including innovation and expertise in digital issues and e-governance. In Kenya, this expertise is directed toward education, digital development, and entrepreneurship.

Between 2013 and 2021, Estonia invested $2.15 million in development cooperation projects in Kenya. During this period, 26 projects were initiated in Kenya in support of refugee welfare, humanitarian missions, education, digital development, and resource and environmental sustainability.

As of September 1, 2022, there were eight ongoing projects in Kenya that support, among other things, the deployment of e-learning solutions, digital literacy, sustainable forestry, agricultural practices, and the establishment of national registers.