MSMEs Principal Secretary Susan Mang’eni on Sunday led a visit to the NYOTA Project Business Training sessions taking place across remote parts of Lamu West Constituency, reaffirming the government’s commitment to taking economic empowerment to every part of the country, including areas deep within the Boni Forest.
The visit began at Kiwayu Primary School in Kiunga Ward, where trainees from Kiwayu and Ndau villages are undergoing the NYOTA Business Development training. The team later proceeded to Mkokoni Ward and then to Kiangwe Village in Basuba Ward, where additional groups of young people were engaged in entrepreneurship capacity-building sessions. These visits demonstrate the government’s deliberate effort to reach youth in the most geographically isolated communities.
PS Mang’eni explained that the NYOTA Project has been intentionally customised to overcome the geographical barriers that often limit access to national programmes. She noted that the training model ensures that a minimum of 70 young people in every constituency benefit from the programme, enabling equal access to enterprise development skills and start-up support regardless of location.
“Through partnerships with government agencies, youth in Lamu have an opportunity to tap into value addition, establish cottage industries, and participate effectively in the priority value chains of the region, including the blue economy sector,” she added.
The Principal Secretary for Investment Promotion, Abubakar Hassan, reassured the trainees of the government’s sustained commitment to empowering young people through MSME development. He noted that the government’s intention is not only to support youth in starting enterprises but to help them build businesses that can grow and create employment opportunities within their communities.
Basuba Ward MCA Deko Barisa Bwana also participated in the visit and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that all young people, regardless of where they live, have equal opportunities for empowerment through the NYOTA Project.
Lamu West is part of the cohort of 17 counties currently undergoing the NYOTA Project Business Support Component. A total of 42,735 trainees across 510 wards were invited for the classroom-based business training sessions, in line with the project requirement to onboard at least 70 trainees per ward.
