The National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) is a five-year initiative by the Government of Kenya, funded by the World Bank. The project focuses on addressing unemployment, enhancing income generation, and promoting a culture of saving among youth. The implementation of the project is in support of achieving the Governments Bottom-Up Transformation Agenda (BETA) pillars towards creating employment.

The NYOTA programs target vulnerable youth who meet the following criteria:

• Age: 18-29 years (up to 35 for Persons with Disabilities).
• Education: Form 4 level of education or below.
• Employment Status: Unemployed, underemployed, or in low-income jobs.
• Location: Youth from all 47 counties, including refugees in Garissa and Turkana.

The main objective is to increase employment, earnings, and savings among targeted youth at a national scale. The project also aims to create sustainable systems for long-term opportunities in employment and financial inclusion.

NYOTA Project is structured into four components:

1. Improving Youth Employability

1. • Implemented by the State Department for Youth (SDY), State Department for Labour (SDL), National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), and National Employment Authority (NEA).
   • Focuses on skills development, apprenticeships, and job placement support.

1. Expanding Employment Opportunities

1. • Implemented by the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA).
   • Supports entrepreneurship through Business development services training, mentorship, business start-up capital and result based financing in partnerships with social enterprises.

1. Supporting Youth Savings

1. • Implemented by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
   • Promotes savings through incentives, financial literacy, and enhanced systems.

1. Strengthening Youth Employment Systems

• Implemented by the State Department for Youth (SDY) and the State Department for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (SD MSMEs).
• Builds systems for youth employment and ensures effective project management.

Component 2, implemented by the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA). This component aims to expand employment opportunities through entrepreneurship development and support to social enterprises with a target of reaching 110,000 youth across Kenya’s 47 counties, including 5,000 refugees and 5,000 local community members. Component 2 will have two subcomponents:

2. a) Subcomponent 2.1: Support for Entrepreneurship

The package of services under this subcomponent includes Business Start-up Capital, socio-emotional and business skills training and mentorship support. The packages will incorporate short term classroom training, a mentorship programme and a financial & market linkages session to link beneficiaries to credit facilities and other financing opportunities and also provide a platform for market linkage.

2. b) Subcomponent 2.2: Results based financing partnership with social enterprises

The subcomponent aims to achieve better employment outcomes, specifically increase in income for 10,000 hard-to-serve youth through partnering with social enterprises, who are to provide entrepreneurship training and kits (where applicable) as well as guided support to youth to assist them run micro-franchises, seller agent or Off taker business models.

The project provides:

• Training on core business skills, and financial management and life skills.
• KES 50,000 business start-up capital for eligible youth.
• Access to mentorship and business development services to help youth succeed in their ventures.

NYOTA addresses critical challenges such as unemployment and limited financial inclusion among vulnerable youth. By equipping youth with skills, financial support, and savings opportunities, it empowers them to thrive and contribute to Kenya’s economic growth.

You can stay updated on the NYOTA Project’s progress by following our official social media handles:

NYOTA Project:

• X (formerly Twitter): @NYOTA_Kenya
• Instagram: NYOTA_Kenya
• Facebook: NYOTA Project Kenya

MSEA (Implementing agency for Component 2):

• X (formerly Twitter): @MSEA_Kenya
• Instagram: mseakenya
• Facebook: Micro and Small Enterprises Authority – MSEA

If you have questions about the application process, you can reach out to the NYOTA Project or MSEA:

NYOTA Project

• Toll-Free Number: 0800 222 221
• Email: nyota@youth.go.ke

Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA)

• Phone Number: 0700 666 000
• Alternatively, you can visit the nearest MSEA field office in your county for assistance. Find the list of field offices and their locations here: MSEA County Offices.