Selected businesses will benefit from a range of digitization services and tools free of charge for the next 12 months.
Twiva, in partnership with The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), has announced the launch of the Twende Digital Project, funded by the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE), aimed at supporting Kenyan content creators and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in embracing digital technologies.
The initiative seeks to address the pressing issue of youth unemployment in Kenya, particularly targeting the 18 to 29-year-old demographic, where over 50% of the 2.97 million jobless Kenyans fall.
The Twende Digital Project, guided by CFYE’s mission to promote youth employment initiatives in Africa, is set to create significant job opportunities in both urban and rural areas, including Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Kiambu, Garissa, and Kakamega.
Selected businesses will benefit from a range of digitization services and tools free of charge for the next 12 months.
These include influencer marketing service credits, content creation credits, access to business digital coaches, connections to influencers or resellers for product promotion, as well as support in logistics and fulfillment, digital marketing training, and advisory services.
Paul Ngugi, Deputy Country Lead of the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment, emphasized the initiative’s aim to create 230,000 dignified and fulfilling jobs for young people in Africa by 2026. The project not only aims to expand businesses but also to ensure job creation, particularly through the digitization of SMEs.
The project comes at a critical time when Kenya faces significant unemployment challenges, with over 2.97 million jobless individuals, half of whom are between 18 and 29 years old. In light of limited formal employment opportunities, there is a growing need to explore alternative avenues for work, especially for young Kenyans. Leveraging innovation, technology, and emerging skills is seen as a key strategy to mitigate the challenges young people face in entering the labor market.
Dr. Ehud Gachugu, Director of Youth and Jobs at the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, highlighted the potential of digitization in unlocking opportunities for enterprises and creating new and exciting work prospects for the youth in Kenya.
As a social commerce platform, Twiva will play a crucial role in providing digital access to markets for micro, small, and medium enterprises through content creators. This will not only create work opportunities for influencers but also boost the productivity of SMEs through the integration of digital technologies.
The anticipated impact of the Twende Digital project goes beyond statistics; it aims to transform lives by elevating the average income of employed youth and injecting vitality into their livelihoods. The project also prioritizes inclusivity by allocating 60% of opportunities to women-led SMEs and focuses on building digital skills among SMEs.
The project envisions expanding its reach to serve more youth and women by enlisting additional social influencers through the Twiva platform, fostering economic growth, and contributing to a sustainable future beyond the CFYE project.
Philip Karanja, CEO of PhilItTV, emphasized the importance of businesses connecting with influencers to elevate their brand visibility and customer experience, thus underlining the pivotal role of influencers in modern branding strategies.
In addressing the challenges of limited capital and formal job opportunities, Twende Digital pioneers a new approach by leveraging digital technologies and the power of social media influencers to open doors for youth-owned agribusinesses and scalable enterprises.
The Twende Digital Project represents a commitment to building a sustainable future by empowering youth and women economically, with the vision of contributing
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