At least 600 youth are set to benefit from a three-year programme to train and empower them with skills to secure overseas jobs as seafarers.
KCB Bank, KCB Foundation and Kenya Maritime Authority have partnered to implement the programme.
Some Sh155 million has been set aside to be disbursed to youth as bursaries for three years starting next year depending on their qualifications.
Shipping and Maritime PS Nancy Karigithu said the youth will be trained in safety and will get unsecured loan products from KCB to secure visa documentation, embarkation costs and other travel logistics.
“We will play our role in licensing the qualified youth following their training and thereafter oversee their transition into the maritime industry and overall welfare. Given our youthful population, we aim to position the country as a hub for maritime vessels across the globe,” she said.
The PS said the government is doing its best to assist the youth in achieving their goals.
“There is an unemployment crisis in the country as we have a huge bulge of young people who are not getting into employment. We look at this crisis not as a challenge but as an opportunity for us to be innovative and get into other areas of production such as tapping into the maritime sector to increase our GDP,” she said.
KCB director of retail Annastacia Kimtai said the efforts are in line with KCB’s commitment to tackling youth unemployment through a sustainable approach.
“Our end goal is to unlock access to seafarers’ jobs in the international maritime fleets for our youth and provide a bridge to finance through joint efforts with KMA and KCB Foundation. As a local bank with global solutions, our intention is to continually provide solutions that are geared towards uplifting the livelihoods of our young people,” Kimtai said.
Mombasa Deputy Governor Francis Thoya said the county is committed to empowering the youth.
“We are still grappling with the challenge of low transition between secondary schools to university in the region, thus the need to empower our youth skillwise to connect to the job market,” he said.
