Nairobi: The Government has lauded the overwhelming response that the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project has received, with over two million applications. Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development Principal Secretary (PS) Susan Mang’eni said, although their target was to assist 100,000 youths with Sh. 50,000 business support grants, the data indicated high interest among people in doing business.
According to Kenya News Agency, PS Mang’eni expressed the government’s commitment to supporting the entrepreneurial interests of young people. Speaking to successful applicants undergoing training in Mbeere North Constituency, Embu County, she affirmed the government’s resolve to champion employment creation for the youth through enterprise development.
The PS noted that the Nyota project is one of several measures the government has implemented to promote youth employment. Although many applicants did not qualify for the grants, she emphasized that alternative initiatives, such as the Uwezo Fund, Youth Enterprise Fund, and Women Enterprise Fund, are available to support self-employment efforts.
Further, PS Mang’eni highlighted that the Ministry is committed to leveraging the data gathered from the Nyota Project to assist unsuccessful applicants. She mentioned plans to organize these individuals around emerging opportunities and to potentially restructure other funds around the Nyota Model, which has proven responsive to the entrepreneurial needs of young people.
In addition, PS Mang’eni announced plans to expand the Nyota funds to an additional 25 counties in the Rift Valley, Nyanza, and Eastern Regions. Training for the last batch of counties is set to commence towards the end of this week, followed by disbursements of the grants to beneficiaries.
To date, the first installment of Sh. 25,000 has been disbursed to 12,155 young people in the Western Counties of Busia, Bungoma, Kakamega, and Vihiga since the disbursement was launched earlier this month.
