Nestlé Equatorial Africa on the 1st of November 2017 marked the Africa Youth Day by hosting eighty Kenyan youths to a workshop meant to prepare them for employment and entrepreneurship. The workshop was part of the company’s global initiative dubbed Nestlé Needs Youth through which it aims to help 10 million young people around the world have access to economic opportunities by 2030.
“Together with our partners, we host these interactive sessions for the youth and give them an opportunity to share with others their journey towards professional success, and give insights on the workplace. The programme focuses on three key pillars. One of this is ‘employment and employability for youth’ where we carryout various actions focused on reaching out to young people in universities and colleges to prepare them for work. We do this through guest lecturers to share with the students how the theory in class applies to work environment, CV clinics, and self-branding and mock interview sessions,” said Mr. Stephen Mokaya, the Regional Recruitment Manager at Nestlé Equatorial African Region.
“The second pillar focuses on ‘supporting women and young farmers become leaders in agriculture’ while the third one focuses on encouraging entrepreneurship and nurturing business talent in young people. Nestlé also provides entrepreneurship opportunities through its own initiatives like the MYOWBU (My Own Business) project where the company recruits and train youth to start Nescafé coffee selling business in busy market areas.”
The Nestlé EAR ‘Africa Youth Day’ workshop in Kenya was one of a series of other events that the company has been hosting for Kenyan youth in the country since the launch of the Nestlé Needs Youth Programme in 2016. Nestlé EAR has been targeting university and college students and has reached out to over a thousand young people across the country.
“According to the African Union (AU) Commission, 65% of Africa’s total population is between the ages of 18 and 35. More studies have shown that this number will more than double by 2055 and to this end we commend the AU for mainstreaming the celebration of the African Youth Day as a way of ensuring the challenges that face the youth, in the continent, are adequately addressed,” said Mokaya.
The Africa Youth Day, celebrated every 1st of November every year, was proclaimed and instituted by the African Union in its 2006 Assembly. The celebrations helps to promote an increased recognition of youth as the main agents for social change and economic growth in all aspects of the African society. The 2017 AU celebrations was themed “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in the Youth,” further highlights the importance of young people as the main contributors for a sustainable development of the African continent through their energy, motivation, and idealism.