KEPSA, Twiva Launch 2nd Phase of Twende Digital Project to Address Job Scarcity
The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and Twiva have launched the second phase of the Twende Digital Project, aimed at tackling youth unemployment and enhancing digital skills for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through social commerce.
The project, supported by the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE), seeks to create employment opportunities while boosting SMEs’ digital capabilities.
This new cohort follows the success of the first phase, which concluded in July 2024, having created or improved over 1,000 jobs. The second phase aims to add 2,000 more jobs, bringing the total to 3,000 by mid-2025.
The program also provides financial linkages, health benefits, and pension options for participants, while helping SMEs with digital marketing, content creation, and social media management to increase their market reach.
KEPSA’s Acting Deputy CEO, Dr. Ehud Gachugu, noted the mutual benefits of the project, with SMEs gaining digital expertise and market access, while young people find meaningful jobs.
“Twende Digital creates a powerful synergy where SMEs and young people grow together. While SMEs gain critical digital expertise and market access, young people earn meaningful, decent jobs as resellers through social and influencer marketing strategies. This win-win model fosters economic development and resilience and contributes to closing the unemployment gap in Kenya,” said Gachugu.
The project also addresses Kenya’s high youth unemployment rate, where over half of the unemployed population are aged 18 to 29, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
The Twende Digital initiative is expanding across various counties, including Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu, focusing on marginalized areas to maximize its impact.
According to Paul Ngugi, the Deputy Country Lead at CFYE, the program is committed to creating approximately 230,000 jobs for young people globally by 2026.
“At CFYE, our mission is to create sustainable and dignified work for youth. Twende Digital is one of our key partnerships, and through this initiative, we are seeing tangible outcomes; not just in the number of jobs created but in how they improve lives and transform businesses. We believe in the power of implementing partners like KEPSA and Twiva to drive real change in the employment landscape,” said Ngugi.
According to recent statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, over 50% of the 2.97 million unemployed Kenyans are aged 18 to 29.
This alarming youth unemployment rate highlights the urgent need for innovative job-creation strategies. Twende Digital addresses this challenge by offering young people opportunities to participate in Kenya’s growing digital economy.
The program also equips SMEs with digital tools to thrive in an increasingly tech-driven market.
“Through innovative tactics like social commerce and influencer marketing, Twende Digital is solving the issue of youth unemployment and transforming how businesses in Kenya reach their markets. By empowering youth as influencers and digital marketers, we are providing them with dignified work while giving SMEs a competitive edge in this digital age,” said Joy Mwangi, Co-Founder and COO of Twiva.
Twende Digital’s expansion to counties such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Kiambu, Nyeri, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, Nakuru, and Machakos, ensures that its impact is felt across all regions, particularly in marginalized and underserved communities.
This partnership between KEPSA and Twiva, along with the strategic backing of CFYE, exemplifies the power of collaboration and innovation in creating lasting economic opportunities for Kenya’s youth and businesses.
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