The government has intensified efforts to address youth unemployment by urging young Kenyans to enrol in the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) program, a bold and comprehensive initiative aimed at equipping the youth with skills, resources, and support needed to create sustainable livelihoods.
The five-year program, which forms a key pillar of the government's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), is designed to empower youth through hands-on business training, technical skills development, access to startup capital, and integration into the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) ecosystem.
Speaking exclusively to the Kenya News Agency (KNA), Acting Senior Enterprise Development Officer Michelle Aburili said the NYOTA program represents a turning point in the country's approach to youth empowerment.
She described the initiative as a lifeline for thousands of young people struggling to find meaningful employment in an increasingly competitive economy, saying it seeks not only to boost employment but also to enhance income generation, promote a culture of saving, and foster long-term financial inclusion. "The NYOTA program is here to change lives and offer a complete empowerment package, business development training, startup capital of up to Sh50,000, mentorship, and crucial linkages to markets and business support services with the goal to equip the youth with real tools for long-term success." Explained Aburili.
