Sama to hire 2,000 women, youth in Kenya

NAIROBI, KENYA — Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firm Sama announced its plans to employ 2,000 youth and women in Kenya for their upcoming artificial intelligence (AI) projects.
Collaborating with Fortune 500 firms, these new employees will be trained in computer vision and data labeling, contributing to machine learning development.
Sama Vice President Global Service Delivery Annepeace Alwala said, “Through this initiative, we are not only creating employment opportunities for Kenyan youths but also ensuring that Kenya plays a significant role in shaping the future of AI development.”
Despite getting embroiled in a content moderation controversy with social media giant Meta, Alwala stated that Sama’s recruitment plan will assist in “fostering innovation, creating opportunities, and building a brighter future where Kenyan talent fuels the global AI revolution.”
The first batch of 600 hires in Nairobi is already in training, and an additional 1,400 will join them in the coming weeks. This adds to Sama’s current team of over 3,000 staff in Nairobi.
State Department of ICT and the Digital Economy Principal Secretary John Kipchumba Tanui supported Sama, stating that their plan will pave “the way for a brighter future where talent meets technology.”
Sama’s move aligns with Kenya’s Digital Economy Transformation goals under its Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BeTA). According to McKinsey, the AI industry could add up to $4.4 trillion to global corporate profits annually. To date, Sama has positively impacted over 65,000 tech professionals.
Sama’s latest move aligns with its plan to increase its BPO investments in Kenya, recognizing the country as a prime hub for global delivery and risk mitigation in machine learning. It also aligns with Kenya’s Digital Economy Transformation goals under its Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BeTA).