Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi has urged the private sector to look for ways of increasing job opportunities so more youth can be employed.
He said unemployment is a thorn in the flesh of the country as thousands of youth continue to waste away because of lack of jobs.
Abdullahi was speaking on Thursday at Wajir stadium during the 60th Madaraka Day celebrations.
“We are indeed blessed to have qualified, well-educated and competent youth with abundant skills and experience. Unfortunately, as it is the case across other counties in our country, our county administration is overwhelmed by the demand for jobs and our limited capacities,” he said.
Abdullahi said the youth remain a very significant segment of the county’s population.
“To our Wajir youth, you are without a doubt a treasure to our county. To ensure our county benefits from your skills, energy and experience, I encourage you to support our youth employment initiatives by taking up available opportunities in the fast-rising sectors. This includes the creative economy which has been hugely boosted by this digital era,” he said.
The county chief said his administration will continue to promote youth employment to protect them from falling into the trap of drug abuse, violent extremism, and crime.
He said his administration is committed to providing a conducive business atmosphere.
The governor said the department of trade has registered 1,050 businesses and promoted a favourable environment for their operation and subsequent success.
“In conjunction with the county revenue section, the trade department has registered and supported 713 micro enterprises, with each employing more than five staff members, 650 small enterprises each with the capacity to employ between 10 to 15 persons and 237 medium enterprises each employing more than 15 persons,” Abdullahi said.
He said his administration has allocated supplementary and development budget for vocational training, provided instructional material for all the vocational training centres across the county and appointed a dedicated chief officer for the sub-department of vocational training. This, the governor said, has increased enrolment by 35 per cent.
He said later this month, the county shall disburse Sh200 million county revolving fund to benefit 1,425 groups.
This follows the completion of the application process, vetting, and appraisal of fund applicants. There were 2,500 applicants from across the 30 wards in the county.
