Events

Event Date: 20 Aug 2025
Event Location: Radisson Blu Hotel, Upper Hill, Nairobi, Kenya

Enhancing Access to Dignified and Fulfilling Work for the Youth in Kenya

20 August 2025
Radisson Blu Hotel, Upper Hill, Nairobi, Kenya

Kenya will host the inaugural Policy Dialogue on Youth Employment, bringing together government, private sector, civil society, and research institutions to address one of the country’s most pressing development challenges: youth unemployment. Each year, close to one million young Kenyans enter the labour market, many lacking the skills or opportunities needed to secure dignified and fulfilling work. Without urgent and coordinated action, this growing crisis threatens to undermine Kenya’s development aspirations.

The Dialogue will take place under the theme “Enhancing Access to Dignified and Fulfilling Work for the Youth in Kenya” and will serve as a platform to strengthen partnerships, align research with stakeholder needs, validate emerging findings, and showcase ongoing initiatives advancing youth employment in the country.

The event is convened as part of the Youth Futures Policy Research Project, a multi-country initiative funded by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented in eight African countries, including Kenya. The project seeks to generate evidence on how policies, regulatory frameworks, and industrial strategies can be harnessed to expand dignified work opportunities for Africa’s youth in the context of the demographic transition and the evolving digital economy.

AFIDEP and CAP Youth Empowerment Institute (CAP YEI), working closely with the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) and the Government of Kenya, will co-lead the Dialogue. Discussions will feature research presentations, high-level keynote addresses, and interactive panel sessions with policymakers, youth representatives, private sector leaders, and development partners.

Highlights of the Dialogue include:

  • Opening Ceremony: Remarks from AFIDEP, CAP YEI, NGEC, the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, and the State Department of Labour and Skills Development.
  • Keynote Address: Delivered by Fikirini Jacobs Katoi Kahindi, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports.
  • Research Presentations: Results from AFIDEP’s desk-based policy review on youth employment and evidence on what works in youth employment policies in Africa.
  • Panel Sessions:
    • Youth Employment Policy in Kenya — featuring representatives from government, KIPPRA, and the Council of Governors.
    • Youth Employment Interventions and Implementation in Kenya — featuring youth leaders, private sector representatives, and international organisations including the ILO and ENABLE Youth.
  • Youth Discussants: Reflections from young people on proposed policy and programme pathways.
  • Closing Remarks: From AFIDEP, CAP YEI, NGEC, and the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports.

The Dialogue offers a timely opportunity to align evidence, policy, and practice in order to harness Kenya’s demographic dividend and secure dignified, fulfilling work opportunities for its young people.

Read the full agenda here: [link]