Call for Applications: Empowering Businesses for Job Creation

 

Are you a forward-thinking business owner looking to scale your operations and drive social impact?

 

The United Nations Joint Programme is launching a comprehensive support program to accelerate approximately high-potential businesses across five target countries: Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Isiolo and Turkana. Our mission is to create sustainable jobs , and we want to help your business become a powerhouse for economic growth.

 

What is the United Nations Joint Programme

The UN Joint Programme on Youth Skills, Employability and Civic Engagement aims to increase access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for youth in Kenya, particularly those facing marginalization. This includes young women, youth with disabilities, and those residing in arid/semi-arid lands (ASAL) counties and informal urban settlements. Focusing on five key counties (Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Isiolo, and Turkana), the JP seeks to empower youth and enhance their participation in governance and development. 

 

The need for this program is underscored by stark statistics: 19% of Kenyan youth aged 15-24 are not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET), with young women disproportionately affected.  ILOSTATS data (2024) indicates a 17.2% unemployment rate among young women aged 15-24, compared to 8.2% among young men of the same age group.  The overall youth unemployment rate (ages 18-34) is approximately 12.1%, but this figure masks significant regional disparities.  For instance, Nairobi and Mombasa face unemployment rates of 17% and 21% respectively, while ASAL counties like Turkana (30.9%) and Isiolo (21.5%) fare even worse.  Alarmingly, almost 70% of unemployed Kenyans are young people aged 15-34. 

 

Beyond unemployment, youth face significant barriers to civic participation. While the electoral commission aimed to register 4.5 million young people for the 2022 General Election, only 1,031,645 registered, indicating a 77% perceived youth voter apathy rate.  Furthermore, 25% of young people report that their feedback to the government is never considered. This sense of disenfranchisement, coupled with concerns about corruption, tribalism, and economic hardship, has fueled recent protests across the country. 

 

To combat these challenges, the JP will implement a multi-faceted approach: 

  1. Employment and Entrepreneurship: Strengthen industry-training linkages, enhance career guidance and mentorship, promote opportunities in emerging sectors (green, orange, digital, and purple economies), facilitate access to financing for youth-led MSMEs, and support youth empowerment platforms. 

  1. Youth Voice and Agency: Support the development and review of relevant legal and policy frameworks, conduct capacity-building programs on leadership and accountability, implement mentorship for young leaders, strengthen national youth institutions, and support youth-led campaigns to stimulate civic engagement. 

 

What We Are Looking For

We are selecting businesses that demonstrate strong growth potential, financial viability, and a clear vision for community impact. To ensure an equitable and inclusive portfolio, our program prioritizes:

 

  • Target Sectors: Green, Blue, Digital, Orange, or Purple economies.
  • Target Counties: Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Isiolo and Turkana
  • Diverse Leadership: We are heavily committed to supporting businesses that are 60%+ women-led and/or 50%+ youth-led (ages 18–35).
  • Geographic Inclusion: At least 30% of selected businesses will be located in rural or peri-urban areas.

 

 

Ready to Scale Your Impact?

Take the first step to unlock customized training, financial and market access, and mentorship.

 

Application Link: https://unfao.brightidea.com/UNJPInitiative/submit

Deadline: 9 September 2026

Program Eligibity Criteria

To ensure our program serves the right business sizes and models, applicants must pass 8 baseline threshold criteria:

 

1. Economies Alignment: Operates within one of the 5 priority economies.

 

2. Legal Status: Fully registered or actively in the process of registering.

 

3. Business Size: 1–50 employees, operational for 3+ months, and generating less than Ksh 5M in annual revenue.

 

4. Inclusive Leadership: 60%+ owned or led by women and/or 50% owned or led by youth.

 

5. Job Creation Intent: Plans to create 3+ sustainable jobs over the next 24 months.

 

6. Scalability: Demonstrates clear capacity to grow and expand.

 

7. Financial Viability: Holds evidence of paying customers or a successful, strong pilot program.

 

8. Geography: Located within Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Isiolo and Turkana counties

What we Offer

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Technical Assistance & Capacity Building

 

Finance resources

 

Market Linkages & Development

 

Infrastructure & Networks

 

Strategy refinement, business systems development and entrepreneurship training

 

 

Access to grants and loans opportunities for business development

Connections to new customers, branding, and marketing support

Access to product development infrastructure such as  equipment where relevant and mentorship