Kenya stands at a historic crossroads: a rapidly growing youth population, vast natural assets, strong entrepreneurial culture and an ambitious national agenda including Kenyan Kwanza’s Beta plan and Vision 2030.
While the youth bulge presents real risks—unemployment, exclusion, instability, it is also Kenya’s greatest opportunity. With hope, agility and clear government commitment, we can transform this youthful energy into the engine of national prosperity.
I would like to focus on how education, science, research, innovation with entrepreneurship can convert demographic pressure into a demographic dividend. The foundation of this agenda is hope—not optimism alone, but hope anchored in deliberate action and evidence-based policy.
Hope is created when the nation shows young people that their skills are needed hence involving them. Also, that their ideas are valuable- and to use them; their government believes in them- incorporating them; and their future is not predetermined by unemployment, but shaped by opportunity including creating enabling environment for innovation to strive.
In many occasions Kenya’s youth have competed globally in agritech, biotech, digital services, manufacturing, renewable energy and creative industries just to a mention a few and emerged at the top. What we need now is to continue giving them the tools, create a vibrant ecosystems and platforms to thrive. In so doing we must have institutions and policies coupling with adequate funding that will enable our youth to strive.
To unlock the demographic dividend, we must embrace agility, the ability to respond quickly to new technologies, emerging industries, climate shocks and regional market shifts.
Top of the list is to continuously reforming curriculum at the pace of technology including embracing AI. We also need to rapidly scale up successful pilot projects towards commercialisation across counties, updating incentives to attract private investment and have more opportunities under public-private partnerships, adopting flexible financing tools.
Few examples of commitment could be is expressed through sustained investment in Tvets, universities and research infrastructure – under long-term industrial policy and predictable policy environments for private investors with inclusive youth programmes embedded in county plans.
We must continue to demonstrate sustainability and build confidence that as a country will not give up, not change course erratically and will protect the investments made in them. I have repeatedly said that Kenya must produce industry-ready youth with strong technical, digital and entrepreneurial capabilities.
This can only happen when we strengthen national skills framework aligned to industry; mandatory apprenticeships with tax credits to firms; modernised Tvet workshops such as Kabete National Polytechnic.
Industry co-designed university courses and labs. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics pathways for our girls and inclusive programmes for marginalised youth.
In so doing will have build a pipeline of empowered, hopeful youth who see practical pathways into jobs and enterprise – in line with the Beta plan.
We must invest in innovation ecosystem and build local hubs of discovery and invention—not just teach science, but use it at early age. Continue on science and industrial parks like Konza, technical universities and regional clusters taking advantage of the diversity that we have.
We will soon roll out grant challenges Kenya for applied research tied to commercialisation, as an incentive to enhance incubators and accelerators linked to universities, and this could be a game changer. We will ensure we embrace culture building synergies and breaking silos. Shared labs and prototyping centres accessible to youth innovators is one way.
As we think on this agenda, we must continue to embrace cutting edge technologies including disciplines such bioinformatics, genomics with open data systems and research networks. In a nutshell youth-led solutions in agritech, climate adaptation, manufacturing, biotech, fintech and creative technology should be expected outcome on this approach.
Recently we launched entrepreneurship framework programme in several universities and this must remain high-value career path supported by policy.
Lower cost of starting and formalising businesses. County-level value chain incubation (agro-processing, blue economy, textiles, construction materials depending on the counties).
We must expand and sustain on path of digital marketplaces and export pathways, youth empowerment programme and Nyota. We must acknowledge that the youth challenge cannot be solved by government alone.
PPPs mobilise expertise, capital and markets are needed. Industry-funded labs in Tvets and universities, increase in co-managed industrial parks in counties and Innovation challenge funds with private co-investors.
The Beta plan calls for place-based development. That means each county leverages its unique assets. For example, agriculture counties agro-processing, biofertilisers, smart irrigation technology in drier areas.
We should create clusters such as in coastal counties to look into blue economy, marine biotech, tourism tech; urban counties – digital services, creative industry, fintech, manufacturing; arid counties - renewable energy hubs (solar, wind), livestock value chains.
In so doing we should expect to see counties becoming job creators, feeding into the national economy and create opportunities of youth. During recent start-up festival, MSMEs summit and Software and AI summit just to mention a few we, the government demonstrated opportunities that we have- let’s harness its benefits and scale up!
The state department will continue on this
trajectory and do more on advocacy, advisory, promotion and above all
coordinate in science, research and innovation.
Our youth should not be a problem – but hope of the nation and the youth bulge becomes a crisis only if the country does nothing. With committed leadership under the leadership of President Ruto, agile policies, investment in science and education and the belief that Kenya’s young people can change the world, the youth bulge becomes the single greatest factor of Kenya’s transformation.
As the President says – we must do what is right not necessarily what is popular. We are on the path of first world status and our youth are co-pilots.
PS, Science Research and Innovation, [email protected]
