City-wide Co-creation Workshop Report
Overview and Key highlights
The Digital Hubs co-creation workshop was conducted on 18th June 2024 at the Golden Tulip Hotel in westlands, Nairobi. It was hosted by Nuvoni Centre for Innovation research (NCIR). The workshop was attended by 56 people from various professional backgrounds and organizations, including representatives from academia, the private sector, government, civil society organizations (CSO’s), Nairobi informal settlements community and community-based organizations (CBOs). The Participants converged to appraise and explore the replicability of a ‘digital hub model’ that was co-created with the Mathare community. The model emanated from a study conducted by NCIR and Ghetto Foundation (GF) titled ‘Digital Employment and Training Centres in Mathare’. The study explored how digital hubs could be used to improve the quality of life of people living in informal settlements.
The Objectives of the workshop were three-fold as follows:
The following are key summaries of the discussions from the workshop
- The digital hubs models were achieved through collaboration and partnership with differentstakeholders including the ICT Authority of Kenya, community-based organizations, local administration and the Mathare community.
- The study aimed to enhance digital inclusion by zooming into the digital needs and challenges of urban marginalized groups especially those living in informal settlements.
- The government of Kenya through the ICT Authority runs a nation-wide digitalization program that aims to establish 1450 digital village hubs in each ward in Kenya by 2027.
- Academic literature refers to digital hubs as community learning centers (CLC). Thisprovides an opportunity for communities to develop hubs that promote knowledge empowerment and ensure access to all demographic groups.
- The study developed four sub-models of delivering digital hubs in informal settlements, including the process, hub services, governance, and sustainability & finance.
- Digital hubs could be used as repositories or digital libraries to increase knowledge access,learning and empowerment by the informal settlement communities.
- Digital hubs should be developed as hybrid places integrating both the physical and onlinecomponents. This increase participation by the citizens.
- There is need for creation of awareness to the community on the significance of digital hubs in creating opportunities and enhancing access to information.
- Participation either directly in workshops and interviews or indirectly through the CBOs or representatives gives communities a strong sense of ownership of the hubs.
- The multifunctionality of the model hubs can be hard to deliver provided the unclear funding structure, vague governance framework, and limited spaces in informal settlements.
- The hub model provides an opportunity to partner with private institutions, government(s) and CSOs to deliver the proposed services.
- There is a need to review the proposed programs and update the technologies used at the hubs.
- There is a need to pilot the model before implementation. For instance, have the model hubs piloted in Mathare before being replicated in other informal settlements.
- There is need to identify priority use(s) and users such as having the hubs as places of accessing government services or hubs for youth employment.
- The model should be customized to fit into the needs and dynamics of the local communities before implementation. Make the models more adaptable and flexible.
- Authors
- Bosobori Barake
- Alice Menya
- Stephen Nyagaya
- Diana Mwau
- Submission Date
- Sep 2024
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