CS Oparanya stands in for Ruto at high-level summit in Germany

Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs, Wycliffe Oparanya, is currently in Berlin, Germany, where he is representing President William Ruto at the 2025 Global Solutions Summit.

In a comprehensive update on his participation, the CS highlighted his efforts over the past two days to spotlight Kenya’s commitment to uplifting youth- and women-led enterprises.

He emphasized the government's focus on enhancing access to financial resources and support structures to foster inclusive economic growth.

CS Oparanya also emphasized that he had reiterated the ministry’s commitment to drafting the Startups Bill, which he says will create a structured policy and legal framework to support young innovators and entrepreneurs nationwide.

"Over the past two days, I reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to empowering youth and women-led enterprises by strengthening their access to financial resources and support systems. I also shared that our Ministry is in the process of drafting the Startups Bill, a key step toward creating a structured policy and legal framework that will support young innovators and entrepreneurs across our nation," he said in the statement shared via his official X account.

He has reaffirmed his dedication to uplifting the country’s youth and women, revealing that the government will inject Ksh33 billion into two key initiatives, the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) and the Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation (KJET) program.

This funding aims to confront the ongoing unemployment crisis head-on.

Speaking at the official launch of the initiative held at Musingo Boys High School in Kakamega County’s Ikolomani Constituency, the Cabinet Secretary announced that the five-year program, backed by the World Bank , is set to benefit at least one million women and young people across the country.

"Many of our young citizens are grappling with joblessness. Through this programme, we intend to empower a million of them to launch their own ventures," the CS stated.

Oparanya’s remarks align with the broader government agenda to curb unemployment, a key promise outlined in President William Ruto’s development manifesto.