KYEOP TRANSITION TO NYOTA
Kenya Youth Empowerment and Opportunities Project
Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP) was an ongoing five-year World Bank-funded project whose implementation started in the 2016/2017 financial year and ended in August 2023. MSEA was actively involved in the implementation of KYEOP Component 2 on support for job creation. The component addressed key constraints and market failures that limit the demand for youth employment and their productivity once in employment. It had two sub-components which include the support for self-employed through the provision of business start-up grants and business development services and catalytic interventions for job creation and implementation of business plan competition – MbeleNaBiz Business Plan Competition.
The project impacted the lives of youths across the 17 counties where 97,420 youths have benefitted from business start-up grants, and 68,200 youth with essential skills and employment opportunities, While, 741 Youth benefitted from the business plan competition which targeted 750 youths and saw 250 of them receiving Kshs. 3.6M and 491 received Kshs. 900,000 for businesses.
Success Stories
From the targeted 17 counties, MSEA has been able to document several key successful stories showcasing start-ups that started their enterprises from humble beginnings to become fully pledged businesses. The success stories is a witness of the impact the KYEOP has created in the country.
Way Forward
The KYEOP project implementation has been a journey characterised by learnings, successes, strengths and opportunities for the future amidst various challenges experienced, As the project comes to a close, we thank all the youths and stakeholders who have participated towards its success, We move on to the next phase of other upcoming projects that have been introduced to continue uplifting all the youths in our country through entrepreneurship
The Proposed NYOTA Project
The National Youth Opportunities towards Advancement (NYOTA) project will be a scale-up project of the KYEOP and will build on lessons learned in the implementation of the KYEOP project. The proposed project development objective is to increase employment and opportunities for earnings and savings for targeted youth in the 47 Counties. The project will have four components which include improving youth employability, Supporting Youth Entrepreneurship, Supporting Savings for Kenyan youth in the informal sector, and Strengthening systems and capacity to sustain youth employment and savings initiatives.
MSEA is set to spearhead the implementation of Component 2, which focuses on enhancing employment opportunities through entrepreneurship development and support for social enterprises. The primary goal is to tackle the obstacles and market inefficiencies that impede the involvement of vulnerable youth aged 18-29 in profitable entrepreneurial endeavors.
Under Subcomponent 2.1, the initiative will target 90,000 youth nationwide, along with an additional 5,000 refugees and 5,000 host community youth in specific counties who are keen on entrepreneurship. Beneficiaries will receive a comprehensive package comprising grants, Business Development Services (BDS) training, and mentorship.
Subcomponent 2.2 aims to cater to approximately 10,000 hard-to-reach beneficiaries, aiming to enhance their employment prospects. This will be accomplished by offering entrepreneurship training and support through carefully selected Social Enterprises utilizing franchise or seller-agent models. Payment will be contingent upon the completion of training and the generation of revenue, with adjustments made based on factors such as youth vulnerability, geographical constraints, and income quality.
Look out for NYOTA
All youths are encouraged to look out for details of the upcoming NYOTA which will be publicized in all channels
