Twiva, Shortlist partner to empower Kenyan youth through digital opportunities

The Twiva-Shortlist collaboration aims to empower Kenyan youth by bridging the gap between digital opportunities and the talent pool in Kenya.

Operating across Africa, India, and more than 20 countries worldwide, Shortlist is currently at the forefront of a 3.5-year program titled 'Accelerating the Rise of Cloud Work in Kenya.'

The initiative, funded by the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE), aims to create and enhance over 8,500 jobs in the cloud work sector for Kenyan youth.

Shortlist has also introduced a device financing facility, facilitated by zero-interest loans earmarked for the purchase of essential devices such as cameras, laptops, and mobile phones.

"Many young individuals in the content creation arena face the challenge of inconsistent income, making it difficult for them to afford coveted gadgets like the iPhone 14 or 15, or the MacBook they aspire to own. To address this, we're providing them with an opportunity to contribute a minimum of 15% and repay the remaining amount over a year. This approach makes it more manageable for them to plan their finances effectively and acquire the devices they desire," explains Peter Kironji, CEO and Co-founder at Twiva.

To be eligible for this exclusive offer, a minimum downpayment of 15% of the device's total cost is required.

The remaining balance can be conveniently settled through monthly payments spread over a flexible period of 3 to 12 months.

Grace Gikonyo, Head of Marketing & PR at Twiva says the partnership was born out of market research that shows a majority of the youth buy things on hire purchase.

"Through extensive market research conducted among our pool of 11,000 influencers, we discovered that a majority rely on Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services. Interestingly, the utilization of BNPL leads to influencers spending nearly 80% more when opting for buy now, pay later services," says Gikonyo.

According to Gikonyo, they also want to protect the young up-and-coming content creators from exploitive BNPL agencies.

"These agencies extend their goods and services to a demographic that may currently struggle with affordability, thereby tapping into a larger market. A notable incident highlighted in one of the dailies recounted an individual who incurred a total cost of Ksh.237,456 for an item with a market price ranging between Ksh.100,000 and Ksh.130,000," she added.

According to Shortlist, affordability has long been a hurdle for influencers aiming to enhance content quality and boost their social media presence.

"Our study revealed that young consumers, particularly those between 18 and 35 years, exhibit the highest reliance on online BNPL services. The primary motivations cited by consumers for opting for these services included budget constraints, an inability to pay the full price of a product or service upfront, and a desire to avoid interest and fees," said Austen Stranahan, Chief Operating Officer at Shortlist.