The Ministry of Agriculture is urging young graduates who are unemployed to apply for funding and training to be offered through the government's Enable Programme.
In an advertisement dated Tuesday, November 17, the Ministry stated that it was offering funds and training to unemployed graduates with Diploma and Degree certificates.
The program is funded by the Government of Kenya and the African Development Bank (AfDB ) and is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Those who will qualify for the Enable Programme will be funded by the government as well as receive training to progress their agribusinesses thereafter.
According to the advertisement, the program is implemented using an incubation model for agricultural entrepreneurship which entails training, nurturing, mentoring, coaching and financing successful youth candidates.
The incubation will be done in eight Youth Agri-Business Incubation Centres (YABICs) as detailed online at ENABLE website.
It will target unemployed graduates with either Diploma or Degree certificates as well as youth start-ups in agriculture. The Ministry indicated that the programme will focus on agripreneurship graduates who own and run such ventures.
The agribusiness idea should have been in existence for at least one and a half years.
"The expected timeline for the standard incubates to go through the access to credit, market linkages or require better business planning skills incubation process will be between six and twelve months," the Ministry stated.
The opportunity is open to all Kenyan youths who meet the eligibility criteria below:
1. Must be a Kenya Citizen with a National ID, aged between 18-35 years.
2. A holder of a Diploma or Bachelor's Degree from a recognized institution in any field of study.
3. Shall be required to submit a PIN No. from Kenya Revenue Authority.
4. A demonstrable interest in Agriculture Agribusiness either through previous clubs & associations, personal initiatives, seminars and training on Agri - issues or any other criteria.
5. Willing to establish an agribusiness for Standard Incubatee ( Startup ) and own and run an agribusiness for Accelerated incubatee.
6. Have a viable agribusiness idea.
7. Value Chains - The proposal should fit within the priority value chains ( see details in the online application system at enable youth kilimo as mapped out by the program and assigned to incubation centres.
