KENYA : Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports has announced plans to roll out the first phase of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA).
The Government initiave, aims to empower youths in the East African Country to venture into business for self employment opportunities amid a unemployment crisis.
With thousands of Fresh Graduates out of Campus each year, thousands who completed studies years ago still unsuccessful in the job hunt and companies laying off employees, the Government is looking for various ways to address this.
In a statement dated Wednesday, December 11, the Ministry of Youth Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Cs, Kipchumba Murkomen revealed that 100,000 youth with business ideas would receive financial support to help them set up their ventures.
According to the Cs, the youth empowerment initiave is a collaboration between the Kenya-Kwanza administration and the World Bank.
Murkomen stated that through collaboration with the World Bank, Kenyan youth whose ideas get selected for the programme will receive Ksh 50,000 each.
"Spearheaded by the Government of Kenya in collaboration with the World Bank, the project represents a significant commitment to tackling youth unemployment and addressing skills mismatches," read the statement in part.
"NYOTA aims to equip Kenyan youth with critical skills and resources to secure meaningful employment and foster entrepreneurship. Among its key highlights, 100,000 youth with viable business ideas will receive Sh50,000 each in start-up capital to launch or grow their ventures." It added.
The Ministry noted that the programme would be extended over time to help more youth who are unemployed in the country.
As detailed in the plan, the government aims to help 820,000 unemployed youth across the country.
"The program’s first intake is expected to open soon, offering an opportunity for young Kenyans to harness their potential and contribute to the country’s economic growth. The Ministry remains steadfast in its mission to empower youth and build a brighter, more inclusive future," the Ministry stated.
The ministry emphasizes unemployed youths in the country to acquire technical skills, digital skills and explore other self employment opportunities while still job searching.
Elsewhere, President Ruto, speaking during Jamhuri Celebrations, stated his administration is committed to initiatives that offer opportunities and empowers youth.
" To address the urgent need to create opportunities for the hundreds of thousands of young men and women entering the labour market annually, we have expanded the employment opportunity spectrum and implemented strategies to secure jobs abroad to facilitate mobility and placement of suitably qualified Kenyans." He Said.
According to the President, since September 2022, more than 243,000 Kenyans have secured international job opportunities in the healthcare, agriculture, and construction sectors, among others, and in the last two months alone, 12,000 have secured jobs abroad.
"So far, we have completed bilateral labour frameworks with seven countries, while agreements with two more countries are awaiting signature. Additionally, agreements with 13 other countries are at various stages of negotiations, and we project to connect up to 2 million Kenyans with jobs abroad once completed." Ruto stated.
Ruto, revealed his administration is also investing in local content creation to enhance the quality and competitiveness of Kenyan creative products for export while facilitating the development of digital platforms to distribute Kenyan creativity to global audiences.
" Our Digital Superhighway and creative economy programme, which involves laying 100,000 km of last-mile fibre-optic infrastructure and establishing digital hubs nationwide, is designed to create digital jobs at the grassroots." Ruto said.
"To date, 690,000 citizens have been trained in digital skills through the Ajira and Jitume programmes in various learning institutions, TVETs, and Constituency Innovation Hubs, out of which 180,000 youth have already been linked to online job opportunities, well on track to creating one million jobs through this programme." He Added.
Additionally, The Government of Kenya is set to export 354,234 qualified teachers to 17 countries as the East African Country aims to bridge the gap between surplus of trained educators and the global demand for skilled teachers.
This initiative aims to address the rising unemployment among teachers. According to the ambitious plan, announced by government officials, the Teachers, will be placed in countries including the USA, Germany, Qatar, and Japan.
To qualify, teachers must meet stringent requirements, including registration with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), completion of specialized training programs, and fulfillment of the host country’s specific criteria, such as language proficiency and cultural orientation.
Countries like the USA and Germany are particularly keen on hiring teachers specializing in science, mathematics, and technical subjects, while nations like Qatar and Japan are focusing on language instructors and other niche skills.
The Ministry of Education is collaborating with the TSC and global recruitment agencies to identify suitable candidates and match them with available opportunities. A pilot phase of the program is expected to begin in early 2025, with the first batch of teachers scheduled for deployment by mid-year.
The government has outlined a detailed preparation plan to ensure teachers are well-equipped for their international roles. Training will focus on enhancing teaching methodologies, cultural adaptability, and meeting international education standards.
Teachers will also receive support in visa applications and job placements, with agreements signed between Kenya and the host countries to streamline the process.
This initiative could significantly transform Kenya’s labor market and economy. Beyond providing employment, it positions Kenyan teachers as global professionals, enhancing the country’s reputation for producing top-tier educators. Remittances from these teachers are also expected to boost Kenya’s foreign exchange earnings.
The modern labour market, both local and international, is increasingly based on skills and skills development and Kenya is positioned superbly to penetrate it more successfully because the country's labour index is in good standing.
The Latest World Bank Report highlights a worsening employment crisis, with unemployment Projected to rise in Kenya.
According to the report, Kenya's unemployment rate will increase this year due to a sluggish economy that seems to stagnate and limited job opportunities in the country.
The report, project's Kenya's unemployment will increase from last year's 5.6% to 5.7% this year.
The Government, had earlier last month announced the Ministry of Labour is seeking opportunities for Kenyans abroad, aiming to ease the crisis.
The report points to the lack of job creation in the formal private sector as a major reason for joblessness among the educated youth.
While employment stagnation in large industries is a crucial factor, many employers also do not find the skills they look for among the graduates.
Unfortunately, we have not seen any significant shift in our education policy to produce graduates with up-to-date and industry-specific skills.
Over the years, private and public tertiary educational institutions have mushroomed without much thought as to the demands of the local and global industries.
Obtaining a tertiary-level degree remains largely a path to social status, rather than one to help in a specific career.
There is also little encouragement for the educated youth to become entrepreneurs. Too many bureaucratic obstacles, combined with financial constraints, corruption, nepotism, and political instability, are also discouraging entrepreneurial pursuits.
These also prevent small and medium enterprises from expanding and creating lucrative job opportunities for the educated youth.
In the long run, the objective should be to initiate reforms that lead to job creation in the private sector, encourage entrepreneurship and restructure the education system to better prepare graduates and align their skills with the demands of employers. There been calls for the Kenyan Government to create a favorable business environment and explore ways to create opportunies in the country instead of focusing on exporting labour.