In Kenya, 80 per cent of the unemployed are believed to be below the age of 35. The rate of unemployment in Mombasa, Kenya’s second largest city and home to the region’s largest port, is estimated to be 44 per cent. This raises concerns of how the Kenyan coast will be able to harness its potential if its labour market is unable to absorb rapidly increasing numbers of young workers.
On 8 December 2016, the Rift Valley Forum, in partnership with Adam Smith International and the Kuza Project, hosted a public forum to discuss drivers and solutions to youth unemployment in the coast together with people working in the field, the County Government and business partners.
The forum aims to expand the space for discussions about policy and uncover what can be done to make partnerships a transformational tool for development. With the coast becoming a major commercial and trading hub and an area of major investment and infrastructure, the forum will look at how various partnerships can be brokered by the County Government to ensure that the local youth benefit from the opportunities created.
Discussants
Tendai Lewa Mtana
Mombasa County Government
Stambuli Abdillahi Nassir
Civil Society
Othman Mujahid
BRAVE/Researcher