NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 27- Kenyan youth who wish to venture into the East African region in search of employment will now have an easier access to information on the opportunities that exist in the region and how to exploit them.
This follows the establishment of a youth resource centre through which the youth will be provided with all the information they need to secure jobs or set up businesses in East Africa.
"There is no sufficient information to the youth about the opportunities in EAC. So the centre will basically be providing such information in terms of employment, business and how to go about the process," explained East African Community Permanent Secretary David Nalo during a press conference.
The idea to set up the one-stop-centre the PS said on Sunday came about in their interactions with young people in the ongoing sensitisation campaigns.
The government, he added decided to champion the initiative to empower the youth and hope that it will be emulated by the other partner states support the youth.
This is especially after the realisation that Kenya and the rest of the region has a huge youthful population whose potential needs to be nurtured in order to further develop East Africa\’s economy.
And even as the five partner states continue to implement the EAC Common Market Protocol that guarantees various freedoms and rights, Mr Nalo said they would also embark on a process to encourage local investors and institutions to set up shop in the region in order to broaden the employment opportunities for the youth.
To further foster collaboration especially among the youth and promote their talent, the PS disclosed that they have drafted a protocol for an East African Culture and Sports Commission that will among other activities implement an annual EAC cultural festival.
This is besides the harmonisation of the education systems that is expected to facilitate cooperation in the sector and training to develop human capital within the region.
"We are investing in comprehensive programmes that will identify and nurture youth entrepreneurship including networking opportunities such as Small and Medium enterprises regional exhibitions for the youth and annual sporting events for universities and secondary schools," he added.
During the briefing, The Ministry of the East African Community announced that they would this week dispatch 18 officers to Rift Valley and Central Provinces to carry out the ongoing sensitisation campaign on regional integration process.
The officials, who include their counterparts from other government bodies such as the Kenya Revenue Authority, will help to create awareness in those regions as part of the drive to reach Kenyans in 24 counties in the first phase.
So far, the ministry has reached eight counties in the first two weeks since the campaign started on February 24 and they hope to start the second phase in the first week of May.
