Safaricom launched Blaze Kenya sometimes back and Kenyans doubted its relevance in empowering the youth since the highly hyped ‘tariffs’ were vague and slightly complicated for Kenyans. However, the initiative has yet again taken another twist by introducing a countrywide youth empowerment and mentorship summits.
The BLAZE Kenya summit is dubbed Be Your Own Boss. According to Safaricom, the summit will avail a number of mentors who will give stories about their fields of specialty and share the rod map to success which is never easy.
The first summit will be held this Friday, 17th June at the Eldoret Sports Club, and is expected to attract up to three thousand young men and women from the region. The full day session will involve mentorship sessions and plenary discussions led by mentors including two of Kenya’s celebrated young businessmen listed among Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Young African Entrepreneurs – Eric Muthomi, CEO of Stawi Foods and Mike Muthiga, CEO of Fatboy Animations.
“The BLAZE Kenya summits present an opportunity for the youth to listen to and interact with individuals who they have said they look up to for different reasons, most notably their success in what is unconsidered unconventional fields, and at a young age,” said Sylvia Mulinge, Director of Consumer Business – Safaricom.
“We understand that the youth have passions and aspirations that they would like to turn into real careers and these summits will give them a chance to listen and learn from other young Kenyans who have overcome all sorts of obstacles to succeed. Through B.Y.O.B. they will learn how to create and take advantage of business and employment opportunities, plan their finances and manage the resources they have at their disposal,” she added.
Currently, institutions are paving way for the youth through different foundations due to the economic crisis that is crippling the country down. According to a report released in March this year, Kenya has the highest number of unemployed youths standing at 17.3 per cent compared to six per cent for both Uganda and Tanzania.
Now, every youth has a dream of trimming down the unemployment percentage by owning a business or creating something substantial that can offer a lifetime job security. Initiatives like Wings to Fly offer a good bridge for the youth and students to develop a good lifetime plan. The project has so far supported more than 10, 000 students and a total of 1000 students are set to benefit form the program.
The government on the other hand has availed loan facilities for the youth through UWEZO Fund and the 700 Million concept; BLAZE Kenya has a vision of fostering beneficial empowerment to the youth.
