Tana River County Governor Maj (Rtd) Dhadho Godhana has urged the youth in the region to utilise the various employment opportunities to empower themselves and foster economic growth.
Governor Godhana says the youth should embrace empowerment programmes championed by the national government like the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) aimed at reducing unemployment and deterring involvement in illicit activities.
The NYOTA project targets 820,000 unemployed youth, aged between 18 and 29 years and up to 35 years for persons with disabilities countrywide, in a bid to secure sustainable livelihoods and reduce unemployment.
Over 500,000 youth countrywide have registered for the NYOTA on-the-job-experience component demonstrating the youth’s readiness to seize opportunities for skills development and economic empowerment.
Following a transparent randomisation and screening process 90,000 youth will be onboarded for six-month attachments and internships across the country under the master craftsmen and women in diverse professions.
On Thursday in Malindi town, President William Ruto disbursed Sh126 million NYOTA business start-up capital to 5,040 beneficiaries drawn from Tana River, Lamu and Kilifi counties.
During the unveiling ceremony President Ruto said the NYOTA initiative is aimed at strengthening youth participation in nation development and signals a broader strategy to make the young people central to the country’s future.
Speaking in Hola town Godhana noted that NYOTA will help create opportunities for the growing young population in the country and help employ fellow youth.
The county boss urged the youth to seize the NYOTA opportunity to empower themselves and build sustainable livelihoods.
“When the youth are economically empowered, communities become more secure and stable,” he said, adding that young people are a critical workforce to drive prosperity.
He said the youth were an asset for every country, noting that the NYOTA programme will provide the requisite skills and competencies to the young people to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s sustainable development.
“It’s important for the youth to take advantage of the NYOTA project aimed at equipping them with employable and entrepreneurial skills,” he said urging the youth not to mismanage what they get from the government.
Godhana said the NYOTA project will in the long run transform the youth from passive beneficiaries into active wealth creators in the country.
“Young people should come up with innovative ideas, use the NYOTA funds prudently and establish businesses which would help them earn a decent living,” he said adding NYOTA would help eradicate poverty among the youth.
Godhana said the Kenya Kwanza administration was aware that the youth have been neglected since independence in 1963 hence the reason why it has come up with ambitious initiatives like NYOTA to help them.
He said the youth are being given opportunities through the NYOTA scheme so that they contribute to the nation’s development and prosperity.
Stephen Buya, Tana River Youth President said the NYOTA programme will unlock youth potential and address the challenges faced by young people in securing jobs and accessing economic opportunities.
He said young people have for long faced significant barriers in accessing capacity-building and empowerment programmes due to entrenched socio-political biases.
By Hussein Abdullahi
