Kenya is sharpening its approach to youth skills development, with a stronger focus on what happens after training: whether people can demonstrate their competence, gain workplace experience, secure decent work or build viable enterprises.That shift was at the centre of World Youth Skills Day 2026, marked in Nairobi during the fourth Skill Up Africa Summit. The two-day gathering brought together government institutions, employers, educators, workers’ representatives, development partners and young people under the theme, Skills for a Shared Future.The discussions reflected a growing consensus that expanding access to education and training is not enough. Kenya must also close the distance between the classroom, the workplace and the changing needs of its economy.Across the summit and with the support of UN Kenya, the Government presented three policy instruments addressing different parts of that challenge: the National Strategy on Green Skills and Jobs in Kenya, the National Policy on Business Process Outsourcing and the National Strategy for the Transformation of the Informal Economy.Together, the measures seek to prepare workers for opportunities arising from the green transition, expand access to digital and internationally traded services and strengthen skills and livelihoods within the informal economy, where a large share of Kenyans earn their living.Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection Dr Alfred Mutua said training reforms must be accompanied by economic growth, workplace opportunities and closer engagement with employers.“Jobs are not just created. Industries have to grow and absorb people,” he said. The Government is expanding industrial attachments, internships, apprenticeships and labour mobility programmes while strengthening links between employers and training institutions. Dr Mutua also called on young people to continue learning as technology changes occupations and alters the skills required in the workplace.For the education sector, the task goes beyond preparing young people to apply for existing jobs.Principal Secretary for Technical and Vocational Education and Training Dr Esther Muoria said Kenya’s institutions must increasingly support industrial production, technology development and enterprise creation.“These skills we are talking about are not just skills to make you an employed person. There should be skills to make you innovators and big entrepreneurs,” she said.Dr Muoria called for technical institutions that can contribute directly to manufacturing, commercialisation of technology and local production. She challenged young Kenyans to consider not only how they might enter industry, but how they could produce locally some of the goods, components and technologies that the country currently imports.This would require closer alignment between training programmes and sectors such as manufacturing, affordable housing, agriculture, renewable energy, the digital economy and the blue economy. It would also require institutions to equip graduates with technical competence, creativity, digital skills, professional conduct and the ability to build enterprises.Employers acknowledged that they carry part of this responsibility. Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Jacqueline Mugo said companies frequently struggle to fill positions even as qualified young people struggle to find work.According to an FKE survey of about 700 enterprises conducted in 2025, employers reported gaps in technical, digital and interpersonal skills. Nearly 60 per cent of respondents expressed a preference for technically skilled workers, according to the Federation.“The strongest learning happens when knowledge meets practice,” Ms Mugo said.Germany’s Ambassador to Kenya Sebastian Groth placed youth skills within a wider economic and social context, arguing that employment opportunities shape young people’s confidence in the future of their country.“Because if young people do not see a future for themselves, they will not build one for their country,” he said.He pointed to Kenya-Germany cooperation on technical training, workplace-based learning and safe labour mobility as examples of how partnerships can connect education more directly with industry. He said the aim should be to invest not only in individual training, but also in the institutions and employer partnerships that allow skills to lead to real opportunities The summit also drew attention to workers whose competence has been acquired outside conventional classrooms.Across Kenya, people develop valuable skills in workshops, farms, markets, family businesses and informal enterprises. Many remain excluded from better contracts, finance or further education because their competence is not formally recognised.United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya Dr Garry Conille called for qualifications systems that can identify, assess and certify these skills.“A certificate is not a competence. A graduation is not a job. A training institution is not a labour market,” he said.Recognition of prior learning could allow experienced workers to obtain credible qualifications without repeating training they have already acquired through years of practice. It could also make their skills more portable across employers, counties and national borders.For women, young people in underserved counties and workers in the informal economy, accessible certification could open routes into better employment, further training and safer labour mobility.The next test will be implementation.Training institutions will need current information on what industries require. Employers will need to provide meaningful apprenticeships rather than brief attachments with little supervision. Qualifications authorities will need assessment systems that are affordable and accessible beyond major towns. Government agencies will also need to track whether trainees move into work or enterprise, rather than measuring progress mainly through enrolment, graduation and the number of policies launched.Young people must also have a meaningful role in shaping these systems. They should be involved in curriculum reviews, assessment of training programmes and decisions concerning the forms of work and enterprise support intended for them. The United Nations will support this nationally led agenda through the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, including through evidence, international labour standards, policy coordination and partnerships among government, workers, employers and development agencies.As Dr Conille told participants, the measure of progress will not be how many strategies have been announced. It will be whether an experienced worker gains recognised certification, whether a graduate enters a workplace equipped to contribute and whether a young entrepreneur can turn practical ability into a sustainable livelihood.“A shared future will not be built for young people,” he said. “It will be built with them.”

When the drought came, it did not arrive all at once.It came slowly, with failed rains and shrinking pasture. Livestock grew weaker. Food became harder to afford. Debts accumulated. Families across Wajir County found themselves making increasingly difficult choices to keep their households going. For Zeinab Abdille (70) and Farhiya Adan (23), the drought tested not only their livelihoods, but also their ability to hold their families together.  They live in different parts of Wajir and are at different stages of life, yet both have experienced the challenges that prolonged drought can bring to household wellbeing and economic stability.Zeinab lives in Della. A widow living with a disability, she shares her home with her daughter, grandchildren and other relatives. The family depends largely on a small herd of goats and occasional income from casual labour.During the drought, families in her community drew on long-standing traditions of mutual support, sharing available resources and prioritising assistance for those facing the greatest challenges.“In this village, we lived and braced the dry season through sharing the little available resources. For any assistance, we used to prioritise and focus on the most vulnerable.” Hundreds of kilometres away, Farhiya was facing her own struggle. At just 23 years old, she is raising five children. Her eldest is eight years old and attends school. Before the drought, her family owned around one hundred goats. As rains failed and conditions deteriorated over successive seasons, and the herd steadily declined. Today, only twenty remain.For families like Farhiya’s, livestock represent far more than income. They provide food, help absorb shocks and form the foundation of household livelihoods.  Over successive failed rainy seasons, that number fell dramatically. Today, only twenty remain.“The drought took most of our animals,” Farhiya explains. “We depended on livestock sales for income.”For pastoralist families, livestock are more than assets. They provide food, income and security during difficult times. When herds are lost, the impact reaches every part of daily life.As income disappeared, Farhiya began buying food on credit to keep her family fed. Like thousands of vulnerable households across Wajir, both women received cash assistance through WFP’s Lisha Jamii drought response in Wajir. While the amount was the same, the decisions they made with it reflected the different realities facing their families.For Farhiya, the priority was clearing debt accumulated during the drought. “The cash assistance helped us. Most of it I used to clear outstanding debts, while the remaining amount I paid for my children’s school expenses.”Paying off what she owed allowed her to start afresh. She could once again buy household essentials and cover school and madrassa costs for her children.For Zeinab, the transfer meant something equally important: food on the table.Milk, vegetables and maize flour were among the immediate priorities for her family. The support helped ensure that children and other household members had access to nutritious meals during a difficult period. For both households, the support provided flexibility at a critical moment.  Though their circumstances differed, both women used the assistance in the same way many families do when given the opportunity to choose, they invested it where it mattered most.The effects were visible beyond individual households. Zeinab observed differences between families who had received support and those who had not, highlighting the wider role that timely assistance can play in helping communities navigate periods of stress.“Those who got the assistance are different from those who didn’t receive support. Those who got the assistance have benefited.”“Those who got the assistance are different from those who didn’t receive support. Those who got the assistance have benefited.”The situation in Wajir has improved compared to the peak of the drought with the recent long rains. Rainfall in some areas has supported pasture regeneration and livestock recovery. Farhiya's remaining goats are gradually regaining strength, while livestock owned by Zeinab's household have also begun reproducing again. Yet recovery remains gradual.Rebuilding herds takes time. Animals must regain health, reproduce and grow before families can fully restore lost assets and income. Household costs, meanwhile, remain high.Looking ahead, both women remain focused on the future.Farhiya hopes her children in the future will complete their education and access opportunities beyond those available today. Zeinab hopes to see her household continue its recovery as livestock numbers gradually rebuild and economic pressures ease.Their experiences reflect both the lasting effects of prolonged drought and the importance of timely support that helps households protect livelihoods, meet essential needs and continue investing in their futures.Across Wajir, many families are rebuilding herds, restoring household stability and preparing for the next season. Cash assistance has helped create space for that recovery, enabling households to prioritise their own needs and make decisions that support their wellbeing and future resilience.This cash-based transfer under WFP’s Lisha Jamii Phase 5 drought response was funded through Kenya Humanitarian Fund

Kenya’s development challenge is no longer only a question of ambition. The country has set out clear priorities, built one of Africa’s strongest renewable energy bases and assembled a pipeline of public-private projects across energy, transport, water, agriculture and climate resilience. The harder task now is to turn those priorities into investment propositions that can attract capital at scale.That shift framed Kenya’s engagement with global investors and development partners on 7 July. The virtual dialogue was linked to the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance, but the centre of the story is Kenya’s own financing agenda: nationally led, project-based and focused on delivery. The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and UN DESA helped convene the platform, while partners including Sida, IFC, private banks, asset managers and Kenyan institutions brought market experience to the table.For Dr Garry Conille, the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, the issue is how the country moves from policy ambition to bankable opportunities. Public finance and concessional resources will remain essential, but they cannot meet the full cost of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in a period of tight fiscal space and debt pressure. Private capital, he argued, must be part of a wider financing structure that supports national priorities rather than replacing public responsibility.His message captured the confidence behind Kenya’s pitch. “Kenya does not intend to be a spectator to this capital. Kenya intends to be the first destination.” “Kenya does not intend to be a spectator to this capital. Kenya intends to be the first destination.”Earning that position requires more than a list of needs. Investors look for credible projects, predictable pipelines, transparent processes and practical ways to manage risk. Kenya is trying to answer that test through a nationally owned country platform, designed to align policy, financing and project delivery. Government approval is already in place, and a secretariat has been set up to support the platform’s establishment.The strongest entry point is energy. Kenya’s National Energy Compact for 2025 to 2030 sets out a path to universal access to electricity and clean cooking by the end of the decade, while moving the power system towards 100 percent clean energy. The financing requirement is large: USD 19.1 billion by 2030. But Kenya also starts from a position of strength. Electricity access is above 75%, renewable energy accounts for 42% of installed capacity and 93% of dispatched electricity, and the country leads Africa in geothermal generation.Dr Eng. Isaac Kiva, Secretary for Renewable Energy at the State Department of Energy, placed the compact firmly within Kenya’s investment offer. “We are inviting you to bring your capital, your technology and your risk management expertise to Kenya,” he said. In return, he pointed to the country’s renewable resource base, regulatory climate and readiness to work with investors whose success is tied to Kenya’s own development goals.The pipeline beyond energy is also taking shape. Christine Nganga, Director of Origination and Structuring at the Public-Private Partnership Directorate in the National Treasury, outlined 54 projects worth more than KES 1.1 trillion, with 10 already under implementation. They include hydropower, transmission lines, ports, irrigation, water and climate-resilient county projects. Kenya is also moving towards financial close on what was described as the first transmission public-private partnership in sub-Saharan Africa.The discussion was strongest when it moved from aspiration to mechanics. Projects need feasibility studies before they can attract serious capital. Social sectors such as water, health and education often need concessional money to keep services affordable. Investors need guarantees, first-loss capital and certainty over cash flows before they can commit at scale. Local pension funds and, eventually, insurers could also help finance infrastructure if the right instruments are built.There was appetite from the market. Gavin Power of PIMCO, which manages about USD 2.3 trillion, said investors were looking for more SDG-aligned bonds, loans and project bonds from sovereign and corporate issuers. His message to Kenya was blunt: “If you build it, we will come.”The next phase is therefore less about proving that Kenya has needs and more about showing that it has financeable projects, credible rules and clear ownership of follow-up. A proposed steering committee is expected to carry the work forward, with further engagements around UN General Assembly high-level week in September, Building Bridges in Geneva in October, an in-person roundtable in Nairobi in November and the SDG Investment Fair next April.The July dialogue was only a start. Its real value will be seen in the projects that move from presentation to preparation, from preparation to financing and from financing to delivery. Kenya has made the choice to lead that process. The role of the UN and partners is now to help keep capital, policy and implementation moving in the same direction.

As global ocean leaders gathered in Mombasa this week for the 11th Our Ocean Conference, Kenya’s coast became more than a venue. It became a reminder that ocean ambition is tested closest to the shore.The theme, Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future, spoke to something coastal communities already know well: the ocean is not only a space of biodiversity and climate action. It is also work, food, risk, culture and income.At the coast, the blue economy is not abstract. It is the fisher waking before sunrise, hoping the catch will be enough. It is the woman drying seaweed, waiting for a buyer. It is the small trader wondering whether one bad season can wipe out profit.So when people speak about the blue economy, coastal communities ask a simple question: will this help me earn more, sell more and carry less risk?That matters because Kenya’s financing reality is changing. As a lower-middle-income country, traditional grants are becoming harder to access. Yet fisherfolk still need boats, gear and cold storage. Seaweed farmers need seedlings, ropes and buyers. Small enterprises need working capital.Private finance must play a bigger role. But if it comes in wrongly, it can leave communities with debt instead of opportunity. The question is how to bring banks and investors in without leaving producers carrying the risk.This recently sat at the centre of discussions under a UN Kenya Joint Programme funded by the High Commission of Canada. Implemented by FAO, UNIDO, UN Women and UNEP, the Programme focuses on seaweed as entry point.Demand is there, but the system is not readySeaweed tells the story clearly. The problem is not demand. Buyers exist in food, cosmetics, animal feed, bio-stimulants and industrial products.The problem is the system around the producer. Many farmers operate on small ocean plots. Cooperatives are still growing. Drying, storage, quality control and aggregation remain weak. Without reliable volumes and buyer contracts, lenders struggle.Training matters, but a farmer cannot repay a loan with a training certificate. Production must connect to a buyer. The buyer must pay. Income must reach the farmer and be enough to keep producing. That is what it means to close the loop between production, markets and finance.From grants to affordable finance“We are looking for viable commercial incentives and development outcomes and how the two can reinforce each other,” says Elisha Ogonji from the High Commission of Canada in Kenya.Grants still matter. They have helped train communities, organise women’s groups, provide equipment and test new ideas. Without grants, many blue economy activities would never have started. But grants were never meant to carry a sector forever.

At some point, a project has to become commerce. A trained farmer becomes a producer. A cooperative becomes a supplier. A buyer enters. Money flows back to the people doing the work.This is where the role of the UN is also changing. It is helping Kenya build the bridge between community production and real markets by organising producers, strengthening cooperatives, improving records, supporting aggregation and bringing offtakers in early.A buyer ready to purchase seaweed gives farmers confidence to produce, gives cooperatives a reason to aggregate and gives lenders something to finance.That is where grants can start doing a different job. Instead of only funding activities, grants can prepare communities for affordable finance. They can organise the sector, reduce risk, strengthen cooperatives and unlock lending that would otherwise be too expensive or unavailable.The aim is not to push fisherfolk and seaweed farmers into ordinary debt. That would be dangerous. The aim is to turn early-stage support into affordable loans while cushioning producers.Banks do not lend to disorder. They lend where they can see structure, governance, volume, buyers and a clear repayment path. One seaweed farmer may be difficult to finance. A cooperative supplying an offtaker through a purchase agreement looks very different.Even then, finance must be affordable. A fisherfolk-targeted SACCO product in Kenya has charged about 12 percent a year. Wider commercial bank lending rates are around 14.69 percent, while some microfinance products quote about 21 percent. For producers with seasonal income and thin margins, that cost matters.The question is not simply how to give communities access to debt. The better question is: how do we make finance affordable, safe and useful enough for producers to grow?This is where guarantees and interest subsidies come in. A guarantee cushions the lender and helps it say yes. But it does not automatically make the loan cheaper for the farmer. An interest subsidy lowers the cost of borrowing, helping the producer keep enough income to continue farming and reinvest.Put simply: a guarantee helps the bank say yes; an interest subsidy helps the farmer benefit from that yes! The big shift is sharing risk“Ongoing discussions are focused on turning this model into practice, structuring blended finance solutions, deploying guarantees, and designing loans aligned with real value chains and cash flows. The goal is to support growth without overburdening producers,” notes Titus Osewe from Rabo Foundation.The next task is turning this model into practice: blended finance, guarantees and loans aligned with real value chains and cash flows, without overburdening producers.For too long, too much risk has sat with the fisher, the seaweed farmer, the women’s group or the small coastal enterprise. If production fails, prices fall, climate shocks reduce yields or the buyer disappears, they suffer. If the loan is too expensive, they still suffer.That is not a fair way to build the blue economy.A better model shares risk across the whole value chain. Government secures productive ocean space and creates the right rules. The UN helps organise producers and prepare the sector for commerce. Lenders provide finance. Guarantors absorb part of the downside risk. Interest subsidies make loans more affordable. Cooperatives manage aggregation and quality. Farmers and fisherfolk produce.Regulation is part of this. Thanks to the Government of Kenya, the programme is engaging on the idea of a regulatory sandbox: a flexible space for new blue economy enterprises to formalise, test and grow without being slowed down by high entry costs or complex procedures.This matters because a cooperative should not have to spend scarce loan money just to register or comply. The loan should go into the actual work: seedlings, ropes, drying, storage, aggregation, transport and production.Offtaker agreements also matter. For many women seaweed farmers and fisherfolk, traditional collateral is a barrier. They may not have land titles, large assets or formal security to offer a bank. If a buyer has committed to purchase the seaweed, that agreement helps show the lender there is a market, future cash flow and a clearer path to repayment.This is why the financing model is not traditional lending as usual. Through negotiations with the UN, government, offtakers, guarantors and other actors, the financing is being shaped around cooperatives, buyer agreements, guarantees, interest subsidies, regulatory support and shared responsibility.In this model, no actor carries the burden alone.The goal is not simply to bring private capital into the blue economy. The goal is to bring it in in a way that strengthens communities rather than exposing them.The lesson beyond seaweedSeaweed matters beyond seaweed because it shows that the blue economy will not grow through grants alone. It also will not grow fairly through private capital alone. It needs a bridge between the two.Grants can organise. Offtakers can create markets. Guarantees can reduce lender risk. Interest subsidies can make borrowing affordable. A regulatory sandbox can lower the cost of entering business. Cooperatives can aggregate producers. Government can secure space and create enabling rules.That is what closing the loop means. Ocean ambition reaches the fisher, the seaweed farmer, the women’s group, the cooperative and the household at the shore.And when that happens, the blue economy becomes income, dignity and real commerce for the people who live closest to the ocean.