Kenya: Leveraging Youth for Inclusive Development and Resilience

The document outlines four strategic priorities for Kenya to engage its youth population, where over 70% are under 35 but unemployment exceeds 40%. It recommends modernising agriculture through climate-smart technology, aligning technical and vocational training with market needs (including green and digital jobs), bridging the rural-urban digital divide to foster AI innovation, and expanding social safety nets for vulnerable groups. These recommendations stem from a participatory research project using foresight methodologies to identify future skills and social justice pathways.

• Kenya faces a significant demographic risk where a youth unemployment rate of over 40% could turn its youthful population—over 70% of whom are under 35—into a liability rather than a dividend.
• Modernising the agricultural sector is a priority to combat climate shocks and low productivity; recommended interventions include portable soil testing kits, mobile apps for weather and market data, and the expansion of rural internet access.
• There is a critical need to address skills mismatches by expanding technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in high-demand sectors such as ICT, green jobs, healthcare, and oil/gas, alongside the establishment of sports academies for character and talent development.
• Despite technological leadership, a stark digital divide exists between urban and rural Kenya, with 44% of urban households having internet access compared to only 17% of rural households.
• Kenya requires stronger data governance and regulatory oversight for Artificial Intelligence to prevent privacy violations, cybercrime, and unintended biases.
• Social protection for vulnerable populations should be strengthened by reforming the National Safety Net Programme and National Health Insurance Fund to increase transparency and accountability.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2023). Kenya: Leveraging Youth for Inclusive Development and Resilience. https://saiia.org.za/research/kenya-leveraging-youth-for-inclusive-development-and-resilience/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Kenya: Leveraging Youth for Inclusive Development and Resilience. 2023. https://saiia.org.za/research/kenya-leveraging-youth-for-inclusive-development-and-resilience/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Kenya: Leveraging Youth for Inclusive Development and Resilience |date=12 December 2023 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/kenya-leveraging-youth-for-inclusive-development-and-resilience/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2023kenya, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Kenya: Leveraging Youth for Inclusive Development and Resilience}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/kenya-leveraging-youth-for-inclusive-development-and-resilience/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }