Kenya has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Athari Global, a Canadian firm, to create structured pathways for Kenyan healthcare workers to find employment in Canada's healthcare sector, specifically in disability support work. This agreement expands the "Muuguzi Majuu" program, which aims to address global healthcare shortages while offering opportunities abroad for Kenyan nurses.

• The program currently has 30 Kenyan participants, with 19 already employed in Canada.
• The agreement was signed through the State Department of Diaspora Affairs and aims to formalise and structure labour mobility pathways.
• This initiative is part of Kenya’s broader strategy to leverage labour mobility for economic development and skills transfer.

The Australian government has opened applications for fully funded Australia Awards Scholarships for postgraduate study in 2027, targeting eligible candidates from Kenya and other African countries.

• These scholarships are for Master's degrees at Australian tertiary institutions, aiming to build leadership capacity.
• Applicants must be citizens of approved African countries, at least 25 years old by February 1, 2027, and have a minimum of five years of relevant postgraduate work experience.
• The scholarships cover full tuition fees, return air travel, a living allowance, and health cover.
• Priority fields include agriculture and food security, climate change, and gender, disability, and social inclusion.
• Applications are submitted online via the OASIS system through the Australia Awards Africa website, with the window open from February 1, 2026, to April 30, 2026, at 4:59 pm East African Time.

Google has expanded its WAXAL speech dataset to include Kikuyu, Dholuo, and Luganda, aiming to boost artificial intelligence (AI) accessibility for millions of African language speakers. This initiative seeks to bridge the digital divide by enabling development of AI tools that understand local languages.

• The dataset launched in Nairobi on Tuesday, February 2, 2026, features 1,250 hours of transcribed natural speech and over 20 hours of high-quality studio recordings.
• Aisha Walcott-Bryantt, Head of Google Research Africa, emphasized that WAXAL will empower over 100 million people in Africa by fostering technology development in their own languages.
• Developed over three years in collaboration with partners like Makerere University, the dataset now covers 21 African languages and is available under a Creative Commons license.