Kenya has a vibrant, innovative business ecosystem and a youthful population that is driven, creative, and prepared to hustle. This presents an opportunity for accelerated social and economic growth. However, the formal labour market is still constrained and is not creating enough jobs to absorb the majority of youth seeking work.
There are several dimensions to the problem of youth unemployment in Kenya, with the two main ones being; the demographic dimension, related to the bulging youth population and; the labour markets dimension, related to the preparedness of the youth for the labour market and vice-versa. This means that the economic opportunities driven by a high growth rate must outpace the increase in population.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are at the heart of the Kenyan economy. Supporting the growth and expansion of small and medium enterprises is therefore a credible springboard to catalyse job creation and improved livelihoods for young and vulnerable populations, at scale.