Deadline: 08-Oct-2025
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund has launched an ambitious initiative in Turkana, Kenya, to empower young people to lead the way in climate-smart entrepreneurship.
The program focuses on equipping youth with the skills, resources, and networks they need to build sustainable businesses that strengthen community resilience and create alternative livelihoods less vulnerable to climate shocks.
At its core, the project aims to provide training in entrepreneurship, innovation, digital literacy, and technical expertise, particularly in sectors such as WASH and agriculture. Beyond skills, young people will be connected with mentors, trainers, investors, and private sector actors who can support them in scaling their enterprises. By fostering partnerships with county government, accelerators, and other stakeholders, the initiative also seeks to create a supportive ecosystem for youth-led innovation in Turkana.
A central feature of the program is its integration with the YOMA platform, which will serve as the hub for youth registration, learning, activity tracking, and access to tailored opportunities. Offline alternatives will also ensure accessibility for participants without reliable internet connectivity. Through a highly localized approach, youth will co-create the program design, ensuring that their voices shape the innovation challenge and align it with county development strategies.
The initiative will directly support 125 young people between the ages of 18 and 24 across Turkana’s five sub-counties: Turkana Central, Loima, Lokiriama, Turkana North, and Kibish. With a balanced target of 52% male, 48% female, and 2% persons with disabilities, the program will mobilize participants through outreach campaigns in both urban and rural communities. After an application and selection process, successful candidates will take part in a climate innovation bootcamp, which will provide intensive training on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, ICT, climate-smart business models, and digital marketing.
At the conclusion of the bootcamp, 10–15 top innovators will be chosen for incubation and seed funding. These youth will receive ongoing mentorship, workspace, technical support, and milestone-based seed funding to bring their ideas to scale. They will also be linked with accelerators, investors, and financial institutions to expand their reach. Those not selected for incubation will continue to benefit from networking, learning, and referral opportunities.
Sustainability is at the heart of the program. Each incubated business will develop milestone-driven plans, with progress tracked through indicators such as job creation, profitability, and social impact. The initiative will culminate in a graduation and reflection event, followed by continuous follow-up to assess long-term community outcomes.
By empowering young people with tools for innovation and resilience, UNICEF’s program in Turkana aims to transform local economies, strengthen climate action, and create a new generation of green entrepreneurs.
For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.