By KPC Sports Reporter
Kenya has assumed the Chairmanship of the Jobs for Youth in Africa Community of Practice (CoP), pledging to drive measurable action in tackling youth unemployment across the continent.
The leadership transition from the Republic of Rwanda was announced during the CoP Knowledge Exchange Summit in Nairobi.
The platform brings together 20 African Member States with support from the World Bank and other development partners to promote knowledge-sharing and scale evidence-based youth employment solutions.
Accepting the mantle, Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Salim Mvurya reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to delivering tangible results.
“On behalf of the Government of Kenya, I am deeply honored to formally accept the Chairmanship of the Jobs for Youth in Africa Community of Practice,” Mvurya said.
“Kenya assumes this responsibility with humility, clarity of purpose, and unwavering commitment. We pledge to shift our collective focus firmly toward delivery, accountability, and results.”
Mvurya underscored the urgency of coordinated continental action, noting that more than 60 percent of Africa’s population is under 25 years old, with an estimated annual youth employment gap of over 10 million jobs.
“Investment in Africa’s young people is not merely a social intervention, it is the engine of economic growth, the anchor of stability, and the foundation of long-term cohesion across our continent,” he said.
“When we empower youth with skills, opportunity, and access to markets, we unlock Africa’s demographic dividend and transform it into productive capital.”
During its one-year tenure, Kenya will steer the CoP through three strategic pillars: market-responsive skills development, enterprise growth as a driver of job creation, and strengthened data-driven accountability systems.
The CS pointed to Kenya’s own youth employment interventions as practical examples of scalable solutions, citing programs such as the NYOTA initiative, Digital Jobs Agenda (Kazi Mtandaoni), Affordable Housing, and Climare X.
“Through these programmes, thousands of young people are being trained, mentored and onboarded into public spaces and online work, business process outsourcing, and digital entrepreneurship, contributing to approximately 1,807,000 jobs created through public sector expansion and flagship interventions,” he outlined.
Kenya also pledged to enhance peer learning among Member States, harmonize standards, and scale evidence-based policies to ensure the CoP moves “beyond dialogue to measurable action.”
The Nairobi summit was attended by senior government officials, private sector leaders, youth delegates, and Ndiamé Diop, Regional Vice President of the World Bank for Eastern and Southern Africa.
