This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
On June 8, 2020, the Kenyan government announced plans to support youth investments in agribusiness, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that has seen over 700,000 people lose their jobs.
The Ministry of Agriculture is working on designing programs to promote youth investments in agribusiness, including providing access to markets, affordable and youth-friendly financial services, and establishing innovative information and knowledge sharing platforms.
Speaking during the East African Youth Congress Trust Webinar, the Ministry's Chief Administrative Secretary, Anne Nyaga, emphasized the importance of creating an enabling environment for the youth to explore business opportunities along agricultural value chains.
“The Ministry and other relevant bodies are working together to create an enabling environment for the youth to explore business opportunities along agricultural value chains, online marketing/e-commerce of agricultural products locally and regionally but also come up with trusted digital networks to help fill the gaps in supplies, price information and distributorships among others,” she said.
The government has also announced a stimulus package worth Sh53.7 billion to support businesses affected by the pandemic, including fast-tracking the payment of pending bills and tax refunds to companies, providing temporary employment programs for young people, and rehabilitating roads, schools, and water facilities.
According to the World Bank, despite the government's efforts to mitigate the impact of coronavirus on food security, millions of Kenyans are at risk of facing starvation due to the impact of Covid-19 and locust invasion on food security.
