By Okong’o Oduya
More than five hundred youth across Busia County are expected to benefit from a project by the African Center for Women Information and Technology (ACWICT) through Ngazi empowerment project that was launched on Friday.
According to the executive Director ACWIST Mrs. Constantine Obuya they are partnering with the county government of Busia on this project to see more than 80 per cent of youth access jobs within and outside the county.
Led by Busia county governor Sospeter Ojaamong in signing the agreement at Amaase youth polytechnic in Chakol south ward in Teso South constituency, the governor said the program will be able to train the youth in various life skills that will help the county overcome challenges of unemployment which is currently at 67 per cent in the county.
According to Ojaamong the majority of the youth who seek employment opportunities in his office have no relevant skills yet they need to be employed. He noted that with support from ACWICT through Ngazi empowerment initiative they will go far.
Ojaamong used the forum to assure the residents of Busia that his government will build modern workshops in various polytechnics across the county to empower institutions to offer modern skills to the youth to enable them have comparative advantages.
similarly executive director ACWICT Mrs. Obuya noted that the proeject is a great investment in youth of the county bearing in mind that youths within the country are becoming economically and socially sidelined.
“The challenges of youth unemployment remains above pre-crisis level, because millions of youths around the world are finding it hard to get a decent job. Slow absorption rates in the workforce coupled with requisite skills sought by industries have been cited as the major contributors to youth unemployment,” she said
She added that 1.18 million youth in Kenya enter the labor market annually without any skills having dropped out of primary schools.
According to her this program will run for three years with an aim of improving employment among the youths and help them get jobs as a way of earning income.
In an interview with press Obuya noted that the beneficiaries are aged 20-29 years from poor and less advantaged families within the county targeting three youth polytechnic from the county. The polytechnics include Amaase ,Nangina and Busia youth polytechnics respectively.
