Kenya, Germany launch 39-mln-euro youth vocational training program
Kenya and Germany on Tuesday launched 39.4 million euros(4.3 billion shillings)youth empowerment vocational training program that will equip the youth with requisite skills to enable them to contribute effectively to the country's development.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the program at the Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) will foster skills development in the East African nation.
Kenyatta termed the launch as a big boost to the country's quest to empower its youth with technical know-how needed to grow the country's economy.
"Our quest to foster skills development in Kenya once again gains greater momentum, as we unveil the partnership between the Government of Kenya and the Federal Republic of Germany," he said according to a statement issued in Nairobi after the launch.
The program will be implemented in two phases with the first phase costing 26.4 million euros where the German government will provide 25 million euros while Kenya will contribute 1.4 million euros.
Kenyatta said the targeted institutions in the first phase of the program include Thika Technical Training Institute, Nairobi Technical Training Institute and Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology which are expected to benefit in the areas of automotive engineering, bodybuilding and welding as well as industrial mechatronics.
The second phase will be worth 13 million euros out of which Germany and Kenya will contribute 12 million and one million euros respectively.
Kenyatta emphasized that equipping the youth with relevant technical skills will bring about the socio-economic liberation that forms the greatest task of the current generation.
He also encouraged the youth to take advantage of the educational opportunities offered under the program as well as the robust scholarship program under the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to gain skills that will enable them to earn decent incomes.
On his part, Steinmeier said the laying of the foundation stone at KIST symbolizes the beginning of a new a robust partnership between Kenya and Germany.
"This partnership aims at jointly tackling one of the greatest challenges Kenya is facing today, creating gainful employment for young people," he added.
The German president said he was impressed by the government of Kenya's dedication to focus on boosting youth employment and developing the Kenyan manufacturing sector, which is one of the goals of the development plan, dubbed the Big 4 Agenda comprising of food security, affordable housing, manufacturing and universal healthcare. (Xinhua)
