The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and Twiva are targeting to provide online work opportunities to unemployed young people in Kenya’s urban and rural areas.
Through the Twende Digital Project which is funded by the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE), the initiative also aims to help scale small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) adopt technology in their business processes through intensive capacity building and technical assistance on the use of digital skills and platforms.
CFYE Deputy Country Lead Paul Ngugi said the organization plans to create 230,000 jobs for young people in Africa by 2026.
“These jobs should be dignified and fulfilling work as per the African strategy of good jobs and good salaries. We have also learned that it is very crucial to support the private sector, especially in measuring the impact of youth employment initiatives. This is why digitizing the SMEs will not only help expand these businesses but also ensure the creation of jobs” he added.
The selected businesses will enjoy digitization services and tools for a year including among others, influencer marketing service credits, linkage to logistics and fulfilment partners, digital marketing training, and the digital marketing advisory services.
“As the benefits of digitization become clearer for businesses where they stand to benefit from access to wider markets, more efficient processes, increased productivity, better stock management, and reduced costs; hence the adoption of digitization cannot be ignored,” added
Besides increasing income among the youth, the project will also help bring an estimated 2.9 million young people who lack employment opportunities in Kenya.
“As we aim to elevate the average income of employed youth from less than Ksh 10,000 to approximately Ksh 25,000, the project becomes a catalyst for change, injecting vitality into the lives of young individuals. Job satisfaction rates among the youth are not merely a metric; they represent a shift in the narrative of what it means to find meaningful work,” said Peter Kironji, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Twiva.
Twende Digital Project will allocate 60pc of opportunities to women-led SMEs.
