Build Youth Potential

A global report on population that was launched on Wednesday provides sobering statistics on demographic trends.

Broadly, the world’s population is getting younger, with those aged between 10-24 years constituting about a third of it.

Locally, the youth population is estimated at 13.7 million, which also represents about a third of the country’s population.

Essentially, there is a bulge in the youth population, itself a positive development given the energies and the dynamism young people represent.

Not surprisingly, the theme of the State of World Population report is: The Power of 1.8 Billion Adolescents, Youth and the Transformation of the Future.

Nonetheless, the youth bulge is replete with challenges.

In Kenya, the youth faces the challenges of low access to education and training, unemployment, drug addition, and HIV/Aids infection.

This is why there is increased push to cushion them through interventions such as the Youth Fund, expansion of education and training opportunities, and reserving 30 per cent of government tenders for them.

However, more must be done to enable the youth to fully exploit their potential so that they can drive nations’ economic growth.