Universities in the local area should introduce entrepreneurship courses, advocates CS Oparanya
The National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project, Kenya's largest youth empowerment initiative, has been launched in Kakamega, marking a significant step towards transforming the country's youth from job seekers to job creators.
The project, supported by the World Bank, targets over 800,000 vulnerable young people aged 18 to 29, and up to 35 years for persons with disabilities, across all 1,450 wards in the country. The Cabinet Secretary for MSME Development, Wycliffe Oparanya, expressed optimism that the initiative will rehabilitate youths to join the business arena.
The first entrepreneurship training kicked off on Monday in Kakamega, with the beneficiaries divided into eight clusters nationwide. Cluster One, comprising Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, and Vihiga, is set to receive the disbursement of the first tranche of start-up capital in the coming weeks. Each ward will have 70 youth supported with a start-up capital of KSh 50,000 to launch businesses.
The week-long training will be followed by two months of business mentorship before the disbursement of start-up capital. The CS encourages the youth to take the opportunity seriously and be good examples in their communities. He also urged them to consider business as a pathway to wealth creation and advised them to embrace a culture of saving, emphasizing the convenience of digital banking for securing finances.
Government chiefs have been roped in to ensure transparency and close monitoring of the programme. President William Ruto is expected to preside over the formal launch of the NYOTA project in Mumias in the coming weeks.
In a bid to further boost the project, the CS plans to engage Kenyan university vice chancellors to introduce entrepreneurship courses. Wycliffe Oparanya met with students at the University of Münster and the University of Cologne in Germany to discuss the initiative.
The NYOTA project aims to produce 110,000 youth entrepreneurs, 90,000 skilled workers, and 20,000 certified artisans. The project also aims to promote savings among 600,000 youth. The CS states that life is short, so they should take this opportunity seriously, as the project expects to transform Kenya's youth into job creators rather than job seekers.
Read also:
- Cultivating Adaptable Companies: The Strength of an Educative Environment
- Heed this: There's no more room for turning back.
- International Widows' Day Highlights Anglican Church's Outreach to Widows and Families in Africa
- Leading Human Resources Leaders Poised to Assume Roles of Cultural Advocates, Guardians of Evolution, and Data Analysis Experts
