Over 1600 Kenyan youth are set to benefit from the KCB Foundation and Tusky’s Supermarket’s strategic partnership agreement that will them being offered internship opportunities and contract farming opportunities for youths in agribusiness.
The partnership that was signed on Tuesday will work to benefit 13,000 youths across 22 counties in the identified value chains in agribusiness through provision of asset financing and working capital to enable the young farmers meet the needs of demand and supply.
In the agreement, Tuskys Supermarkets has committed to buy all the produce of the venture making it one of the most fulfilling contract farming initiatives launched by the private sector in the region.
Speaking during the partnership signing agreement event, Jane Mwangi, Executive Director, KCB Foundation said, “At KCB Foundation, it is our belief that the youth hold the greatest sway in the pace and trajectory that the East African economy will take into the future. We also acknowledge the great contribution agriculture makes to the national GDP and we are committed to supporting the sector.”
“We are grateful to Tuskys Supermarket for this great opportunity to partner up. Only We, as locals have the power to change our own destiny,” she added.
To further enhance this partnership, KCB Foundation through its 2jiajiri program shall provide field based competency skilling of youths in the fields of agriculture, construction, beauty and personal services, automobile services and domestic services. This partnership will see Tuskys, through its internship programme, consider KCB Foundation’s 2Jiariri beneficiaries as a recruitment base for their interns.
Daniel Githua, CEO, Tuskys Supermarket said, “This strategic partnership between KCB Foundation and Tuskys will jointly pool resources, skills and experiences to advance youth skilling, self-employment and further hone entrepreneurship skills among the youth, while at the same time provide employment opportunities for the successful beneficiaries .”
Tuskys officially launched the internship programme in October 2015, not only to create a pool of skilled staff for its 54 outlets countrywide but also as a way of transforming societies that they operate in, hence tackle unemployment amongst youths.
Read: Tuskys Sets Aside KES 540mn for its Graduate Internship Program
“We have noted a marked improvement in terms of productivity from youths who have gone through our internship program as opposed to those who have not.”
The program targets the youth, who have limited opportunities, are in marginalized areas or lack resources to seek out the training and job opportunities offered by the program.
Mr. Githua noted that this partnership between KCB Foundation and Tuskys that targets to benefit the youths and women will also help the firm broaden its focus on growing communities, which remains key to its growth agenda.
Speaking at the event, KCB Group’s Chair Mr. Nge’ny Biwott, “I wish to thank Tuskys Supermarket for agreeing to partner with KCB Foundation on this noble programme. You have the support of the KCB Group and the board. Let us go and we must succeed.”