Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has signed a deal with US–based firm that will enable Kenyans to get jobs.

In a statement on Tuesday, Kuria noted that Samasource, a US-based firm plans to employ 600 Kenyans this week.

The Trade CS made the announcement after meeting Samasource Chief Executive Officer Wendy Gonzelez.

Samasource is a data company that specializes in interpreting data for artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.

“Wendy Gonzelez, CEO at World leading BPO giant Samasource has just informed me that following the recent government efforts to create 1 million BPO jobs in Kenya, they will this week hire 600 Kenyans,” Kuria said.

“They will also hire another 1,500 in the next two weeks to work on Computer Vision AI. I have assured Wendy that they have made the right decision,” he added.

Kuria’s statement comes at a time when the country is faced with the serious challenge of joblessness among the youth.

The issue of joblessness is associated with the high number of graduates and school leavers who enter the job market every year.

As a result, the Kenya Kwanza government was rolling out initiatives and programs that promote self-employment.

For instance, the government launched a hustler fund, with the aim of enabling citizens to engage in small businesses.

Other government strategies include partnering with foreign companies to create jobs for Kenyans locally and in the diaspora.