Kenya Explores Innovative Youth Employment Solutions at Korea Development Institute Training

According to the World Bank Group, over the next decade, 1.2 billion young people in the Global South, including Kenya, will reach working age. However, only about 400 million jobs are projected to be created, leaving a gap of nearly 800 million jobs. Bridging this gap will require deliberate support for entrepreneurship, enterprise development, and MSME growth.

Principal Secretary MSMEs is currently attending a training program on Jobs for Youth in Africa  at the Korea Development Institute in Seoul, alongside her colleagues, Shadrack Mwadime, Principal Secretary, State Department for Labour and Skills Development, and Joseph Motari, Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs.

The training program offers practical insights into four key job-creation pathways: self-employment, wage employment, job access and skills matching, and labour mobility. Kenya is currently implementing these pathways through the NYOTA Project, enhanced public recruitment opportunities, digital jobs, and the Kazi Majuu program. 

As the State Department for MSMEs Development, we are committed to creating opportunities for all young people in Kenya through enterprise development and innovation. We are also developing a program to nurture an entrepreneurial mindset among Kenyan youth in high school and college, helping them identify market gaps and turn their skills into sustainable livelihoods.