Baringo County is set to host a regional entrepreneurship centre, which will be among six satellite commercial hubs that are being set up by the government countrywide.
The Centre, which will serve counties like Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, West Pokot, Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet, Samburu, and Laikipia, will support young entrepreneurs to access skills in nine priority key value chains.
Principal Secretary (PS) for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Susan Mang’eni stated that the Sh3 billion capacity building programme funded by the German Government is aimed at providing skills development and networking for the young people to become self-reliant.
Mang’eni was speaking at Kabarnet National Museums grounds Friday during the closure of a two-day Baringo Business and Digital Innovation Summit, which was also attended by her ICT and Digital Economy counterpart Eng John Tanui.
She noted that they chose Baringo because they believe it has youth and women who are interested in the various value chains like leather, cotton, coffee, dairy, and edible oils.
“If you need a particular skill and you may not have the funding, we will finance you to go to any college or any university to acquire the skill that will enable you to come and do your business,” said the PS.
Mang’eni urged the youth to take advantage of another programme that seeks to support them with Sh50,000 grants for any viable business idea they have.
Eng Tanui said his department is in discussion with the Public Service Commission to unlock opportunities for Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) graduates because of their skills and capabilities.
PS Tanui revealed that plans were underway to construct two pilot digital hubs within the county early next year, and it will be completed within four months so that it will open online opportunities for the youth.
He said they are banking on the young people to take this digital era to the next level where they can engage in the space to earn money.
Governor Benjamin Cheboi challenged the youth to come out with their innovative ideas so that they can be supported to reach where they aspire in their businesses.
He added that his administration was ready to support other actors in the value chains to increase the quantity of their products in readiness for the aggregation centres to be established in the county and, in turn, lead to easy exports.
The summit under the theme “Unleashing entrepreneurship and digital innovation for wealth creation” was also attended by other leaders, including County Commissioner Stephen Kutwa, Kenya National Chambers of Commerce President Dr. Erick Rutto, Florence Jematia (Baringo Woman Rep), MPs Joshua Kandie (Baringo Central), Benard Kitur (Nandi Hills), Erastus Nzioka (Mbooni), and Head of Creative Economy Dennis Itumbi.
By Benson Kelio