Kenya is pursuing new strategies to expand opportunities for its skilled workforce abroad while strengthening local capacity through agriculture, education reforms, and business incubation, Labour and Skills Development PS Shadrack Mwadime has said.
Speaking during an interview at Radio Generation, Mwadime said the government is working on multiple fronts to ensure the country benefits both from its human resource and land resources.
He explained that much of Kenya’s land remains arid and semi-arid, making agriculture a central focus in boosting productivity.
“We are focusing a lot on agriculture as it is, and you can see even in terms of what we are doing, we are subsidizing at input level so as to ensure that we produce the highest level of output that we can,” he said on Friday.
The PS pointed to irrigation projects such as Galana and the drilling of boreholes as key drivers in turning vast areas into agriculturally productive zones.
Mwadime also cited the example of Mount Kenya University, which has partnered with hospitals in Germany to offer nursing graduates direct employment opportunities abroad.
“If you are to undertake a degree in nursing at Mount Kenya University, you will be guaranteed of employment in Germany, because they have already made arrangements with employers,” he said, noting that the curriculum integrates German language training.
The PS added that the same model is being advanced in other institutions, including Kenyatta University, which is working closely with German government officials through a joint implementation commission.
“They are ready to support Kenyatta University, because it has strength in terms of foreign languages, to build their capacity so that they can offer German also on a large scale,” he said.
Beyond labour migration, Mwadime said the government is focused on preparing young people for entrepreneurship.
He highlighted partnerships with institutions such as Equity Bank and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to establish incubation centres in technical and vocational training institutes.
“Our young people have the skills, but when it comes to running business, you need additional skills, otherwise you’ll flop. That is the direction we are taking,” he said.
The PS said incubation centres will provide practical training on financial management, marketing, and business operations, ensuring youth can successfully run enterprises.
He added that government initiatives such as the Youth Enterprise Fund and Hustler Fund are giving young people access to capital, with some qualifying for up to Sh800,000 as their creditworthiness improves.
“In essence, what we are trying to say is, if you prove to be creditworthy, then you can access more and more funds and eventually even be able to access big amounts of money in our private financial institutions,” he said, stressing that government funding helps youth build credibility to later qualify for larger loans.
