LAMU, Kenya – The government’s commitment to bringing economic empowerment to every region of the nation, including deep within the Boni Forest, was reaffirmed on Sunday, November 30, 2025, when Susan Mang’eni, Principal Secretary for the State Department for MSMEs Development, led a visit to the NYOTA Project Business Training sessions taking place across remote parts of Lamu West Constituency.
The Nyota Project offers business training programs focused on entrepreneurship. These programs include classroom training and are targeted towards unemployed young people.
The tour began at Kiwayu Primary School in Kiunga Ward, where trainees from the Kiwayu and Ndau communities are receiving the NYOTA Business Development course.
The team later moved to Mkokoni Ward and then to Kiangwe Village in Basuba Ward, where further groups of young people were engaged in entrepreneurship capacity-building activities. These trips illustrate the government’s purposeful attempt to reach youngsters in the most geographically distant places.
Mang’eni explained that the NYOTA Project has been intentionally customised to overcome the geographical barriers that often limit access to national programmes.
Who are the people benefiting from the NYOTA Project
She noted that the training model ensures that a minimum of 70 young people in every constituency benefit from the programme, enabling equal access to enterprise development skills and start-up support regardless of location.
“Through partnerships with government agencies, youth in Lamu have an opportunity to tap into value addition, establish cottage industries, and participate effectively in the priority value chains of the region, including the blue economy sector,” She added.
The Principal Secretary for Investment Promotion, Abubakar Hassan, reassured the trainees of the government’s continuing commitment to empowering young people through MSME growth.
He pointed out that the government’s goal is not only to assist young people in launching businesses but also to assist them in creating companies that may expand and provide jobs in their local areas.
Participating in the visit was Deko Barisa Bwana, MCA for Basuba Ward, who reiterated the government’s commitment to guaranteeing that all young people, regardless of where they live, have equal opportunity for empowerment through the NYOTA Project.
Where else is this NYOTA Project being implemented
Meanwhile, these programs include classroom training and are targeted towards unemployed young people.
Apart from Lamu, the training has been rolled out in various regions, including Western and Central Kenya, covering several counties.
The project aims to uplift a significant number of young people through various initiatives, including apprenticeships, grants, and digital skills training, in addition to business training.
Lamu West is part of the cohort of 17 counties currently undergoing the NYOTA Project Business Support Component. A total of 42,735 trainees across 510 wards were invited for the classroom-based business training sessions, in line with the project requirement to onboard at least 70 trainees per ward.
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