FEATURED STORY

Youth Trained in Soilless Farming to Receive Greenhouses

Samuel GitongaDec 8, 20202k

KCB Foundation Young Africa Works (YAW) project Deputy Chief of Party in Charge of Business Development Services, Ms. Prisca Githuka presents a certificate of Agribusiness Management to Mercy Murigi during the first YAW graduation ceremony at Miramar International College. The YAW project seeks to create 1.586 million Jobs for youths in the next five years, run by KCB Foundation and funded by Mastercard Foundation. The graduates are set to own greenhouses and kick off their entrepreneurial journey from January next year.

Young Africa Works, a partnership program funded by Mastercard Foundation and run by KCB Foundation has today seen 1,030 students graduate in agribusiness, specifically trained in hydroponic farming technology.

The youth graduated from Miramar International College, as the class of 2020 with the entire cohort sponsored by the Young Africa Works Project.

Following this training, the 1,030 graduates are set to receive greenhouses which they will co-own as two individuals, to kick off their entrepreneurial journey under the program.

Speaking at the ceremony, Young Africa Works Deputy Chief of Party in charge of Business Development Services, Ms Prisca Githuka congratulated the youth and the training partner for completing the first step towards job creation.

“The graduation today marks the complete first phase of this program, as the first 100 greenhouses are ready in Kibiko Ngong, for the youth to own. By the end of 2021 we will have allocated greenhouses to all 1,030 graduates to enable them to plant produce which will have guaranteed off-takers under the Young Africa Works program,” she added.

The Young Africa Works program will see a total of 28,000 greenhouses constructed across the country, with the youth undergoing training on how to establish and run them.

The first 100 greenhouses are ready for use in Ngong Kibiko. Construction of the next 500 greenhouses is ongoing with 300 located in Limuru, 100 in Ruiru, and another 100 in Juja.

All the greenhouses are being manufactured and constructed by KCB Foundation’s 2jiajiri program graduates, who were trained in construction and manufacturing. Their counterparts from the agriculture pillar then come in to own the greenhouses and to plant produce for off-taking.

The Young Africa Works project is funded by Mastercard Foundation to a tune of $125 million (KSh12.5 billion) and executed by the KCB Foundation’s 2jiajiri program. It plans to create 1.586 million jobs over the five years of the project’s implementation. This will be through the construction of the 28,000 greenhouses in 560 sites across the country.

Other partners in the project are Miramar International College (agribusiness-hydroponic farming), Gearbox (manufacturing of the greenhouse structures), and ArcSkills Kenya (construction).