The one-day information session, organized by UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi, brought together STEP trainers from universities in Kenya, young beneficiaries of the programme, and representatives from the private sector and government, to discuss the advantages of scaling up STEP, to reach all 47 counties in Kenya and the wider Eastern Africa region, beginning with a pilot phase in Djibouti.

STEP was introduced in Kenya as a pilot in 2012, through a partnership involving the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM) and its German counterpart, the German National Commission for UNESCO, along with Kenyatta University, as host institution responsible for conducting the training. The training, which initially targeted university students, and designed to equip them with entrepreneurial skills to enable them create jobs for themselves and their peers, has since 2014, been expanded to include out of school youth, working in partnership with county governments. An independent evaluation, assessing the effectiveness of the programme, and lessons learned from its pilot phase was commissioned by UNESCO, in 2017, the findings of which were presented at the information session, along with a 20 minute documentary on the programme, produced by UNESCO.

During the information session, presentations from Kenyatta University, Mount Kenya University and Strathmore University, highlighted the beneficial outcomes of enrolling in the programme, aimed at equipping students with entrepreneurial skills, confidence and soft skills to set up businesses and effectively manage start-ups in their respective counties.

Interest from Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Foundation, sparked conversations around the importance of public-private partnerships, and the need to work together to tackle youth unemployment, not only in Kenya, but also in the wider Eastern Africa region. Representatives from the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs and the Ministry of Education (represented by the KNATCOM) emphasized that “STEP program aims at addressing the crisis of youth unemployment in Kenya by empowering youth to be productive, self-sustaining, as well as to create sustainable livelihoods, contributing to the aspirations of the sustainable development goals 4 and 8, Kenya Vision 2030 and the Big 4 Agenda.”.

Excitement grew also among the presenters, motivating young people to make a difference in the world through the development of an entrepreneurial mindset and the desire for self-employment. "You have to make a difference in the world. You can do it if you are empowered and you have employability skills - either you are employed or you create jobs for others," said Mrs. Susan Njau, Director of Youth Affairs in the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs of Kenya, during her opening remarks.

Remarks from the Director of UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, Ms. Ann Therese Ndong Jatta, took the perspective of the health of body and mind of the “whole student.” "We need to look at the Whole student, his/her health and education, coming together, and looking multi-sectorally in UNESCO to ensure skills for youth employment, health, attitudes, behaviors and values, being creators for change,” the director noted, in her welcome remarks to participants attending the session. Dr. Evangeline Njoka, Secretary General of the KNATCOM, further urged young people to take seriously their responsibilities, and use their talents, strengthened through mentorship in the STEP programme, to build successful business enterprises. “We look up to the young people and believe in their collective abilities to take up leadership in addressing some of the challenges facing our society today, such as youth unemployment,” she concluded.

Shifting from the student to Green Entrepreneurship, Hon. Gideon Keter, MP representing the youth in the National Assembly of Kenya, underlined the paramount investments in the new wave of circular economy, "We should invest in green entrepreneurship, creating shared-value, making profits in saving the environment, economic and social benefits together. UNESCO has an extensive knowledge on the green economy and waste management,” the lawmaker concluded, committing himself to work closely with the Organization and other partners in ensuring that the youth explore, and share fully in the benefits of the green and blue economies.

To conclude the session, the founder of Regeneration Africa, a private company based in the south of Kenya and leader in waste management and reusing plastic, to “turn waste into wealth,” Sam Ngaruiya, presented various methodologies for the youth to get involved in green and blue entrepreneurship. "Empowering and building skills, doing good for the planet, reusing plastic and creating profits, with sustainable supply chain and a skilled workforce can be the job of the future, and the future of work in a new sustainable era, where greening the planet means making sure systems are in place to protect the environment and mitigate climate change,” he concluded.

At the close of the session, participants made a commitment to establish a Sector Working Group on Youth, and in particular on STEP, comprising stakeholders from government, universities, youth organizations, private sector and development partners, etc., to, among others, work towards upscaling and mainstreaming the programme, and tackling youth unemployment in Kenya through entrepreneurial skills building and development.

About UNESCO STEP

The Student Training on Entrepreneurial Promotion (STEP) is an entrepreneurship training that fosters the entrepreneurial mindset and boosts business creation among young people in Kenya. STEP boosts entrepreneurship talent of young people, empowers them to create jobs, and provides a career outlook for young people in developing countries. STEP training has so far been conducted in about 10 counties in Kenya, with the overall objective of reaching all 47 counties in the next two years. For more information on STEP, please contact Dr. Abdul Rahman Lamin at ar.lamin(at)unesco.org, or visit STEP4Y Background,