The government has rolled out a new component of the NYOTA AGPO Digital Training Program to help more than 600,000 youth, women, and persons with disabilities access government tender opportunities reserved for special groups.
In a public notice on November 4, State Department of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development PS Susan Mang’eni initiative seeks to equip beneficiaries with the skills and knowledge needed to compete for public procurement contracts and expand their businesses.
The programme forms the fourth pillar of the NYOTA project, complementing existing interventions under Business Support, On Job Experience (OJE) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
Govt Bets on Training
PS Mang’eni stated that the rollout is expected to increase the project’s reach to more than 820,000 beneficiaries nationwide.
According to the government, all NYOTA applicants, as well as youth, women and persons with disabilities, are eligible to enrol in the programme regardless of age or educational background.
The move comes as authorities seek to increase uptake of the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) scheme, which reserves at least 30 per cent of public procurement spending for enterprises owned by youth, women and persons with disabilities under Section 53(6) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act.
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With the current national budget estimated at Ksh4.8 trillion, the government says procurable opportunities amount to at least Ksh1 trillion annually. Of this, at least Ksh300 billion is set aside for AGPO beneficiaries.
However, many eligible businesses continue to miss out on the opportunities due to low awareness, complex application procedures, low levels of business formalisation and limited enterprise readiness.
“The AGPO training is therefore designed to close these gaps, and catalyse AGPO uptake among the youth to help them not only expand their markets, but also gain the necessary competency for performing government tenders,” the government said.
Under the programme, participants will undertake five self-paced modules spread over 10 weeks. Topics include AGPO certification and business readiness, public procurement and bid preparation, registration and bidding on IFMIS and e-GP systems, contract execution and cash-flow management, as well as governance and record keeping.
Practical sessions will feature webinars, industry experts and interactive engagements designed to strengthen participants’ understanding of public procurement processes.
The training content will be available in both English and Kiswahili.
Interested applicants can register free of charge by dialling the zero-rated USSD code *254#, selecting NYOTA AGPO and completing the registration process.
Successful applicants will receive a link to the online learning platform via SMS.
The government and Safaricom are also working on subsidised data bundles to support participants during the training period.
Upon completing the course, beneficiaries will receive proficiency certificates that could strengthen their eligibility for government tenders.
Those without registered businesses or AGPO certificates will be linked to Business Registration Services (BRS) to facilitate registration under planned government waivers.
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The government is further developing a debt-offsetting mechanism that will allow AGPO suppliers to discount invoices within 60 days after delivery, a move aimed at easing cash-flow constraints that have long hindered small enterprises.
“At the completion of the course, the beneficiaries will be issued with a proficiency certificate that will open a door for them to government tenders,” said Susan Mang’eni.
She urged eligible youth, women and persons with disabilities across the country to take advantage of the programme as the government moves to increase participation in public procurement and unlock billions of shillings in tender opportunities reserved for special groups.
NYOTA’S Other Interventions
The first NYOTA intervention is Improving Youth Employability, targeting 90,000 young people through workplace training, apprenticeships and skills development.
It also includes Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), which seeks to certify 20,000 young people whose skills were acquired through informal training and work experience.
The second intervention, Expanding Employment Opportunities through Business Support, targets 110,000 young entrepreneurs with start-up capital, business training and mentorship.
The third, Supporting Youth Savings, targets 190,000 beneficiaries drawn from the business support and employability programmes, encouraging them to save through the NSSF Haba Haba scheme.
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