The first cohort of 187 young innovators trained under the National Young Innovators Entrepreneurship Training programme have graduated with the government making a commitment to help them translate their innovation skills into economic activities.
While presiding over the graduation ceremony of the first phase of the programme and launching the second phase virtually, Principal Secretary (PS) in the State Department for Labour and Skills Development in the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection Geoffrey Kaituko said that through hard work, resilience and discipline, the 1st cohorts have successfully completed the programme.
“Plans are underway to follow up on these youth to ensure they implement successful start-ups. I also welcome the second cohort of 120 trainees who will participate in the next phase,” he said.
The PS urged the youth to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the skills development programme to develop high potential innovations and translate them into productive economic activities.
“As new and emerging innovation champions, you have an important role to play in solving problems that existing products and technology have not yet solved; and changing traditions of society towards reducing dependence on obsolete technologies,” he said.
Kaituko added that the government recognizes that accelerating innovation-driven entrepreneurship through skills development is crucial for large-scale employment generation as envisioned in the Kenya Vision 2030.
“Kenya is among the few countries in Africa that have taken a lead in developing innovations. In 2022, it was ranked third behind South Africa and Botswana in the Global Innovation Index. Despite this effort, commercialization of inventions is low and start-ups face challenges as they strive to become investment ready,” he said.
The PS noted that the goal of the programme, being implemented in collaboration with the Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Center in Kenyatta University, is to empower young innovators with the skills required to transform their inventions and innovations into entrepreneurial ventures.
He said that it creates an opportunity to connect youth to the wider innovation ecosystem, leveraging on the technical know-how of innovation hubs, to build the skillset required to commercialize their innovations.
“Our vision is to change the mindset of the youth from job seeking to job creation and self-employment that thrives on innovation. The more the young people are empowered, the more they will be able to contribute to the socioeconomic development of the country,” Kaituko said.
Caroline Thoruwa Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Outreach at Kenyatta University said that the youth have been empowered with skills which they will use for work and move ahead into entrepreneurship as they have great potential.
Anthony Keya, a graduate, congratulated the government for giving the youth a platform and opportunity to join a programme whose selection was done fairly across the country
Keya however called on the government to incorporate the Kenya Youth Fund into the programme so that when the innovators graduate they can get funding for their startups.
By Felix Wanderi
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