By NICHOLAS WAITATHU

Kenya’s renewed focus on infrastructure offers a unique opportunity to adopt new approaches to employment generation and skills development.

According to World Bank, sustained investment in infrastructure could see the country’s labour force shoot to 45 million by 2035.

Today, the country’s workforce, both in public and private sector is estimated to stand at 10.9 million.

Outgoing World Bank lead economist, Wolfgang Fengler observed that expansion of the labour force would be achieved on the basis of increased budgetary allocation to infrastructure development.

He said more jobs would be created in the country in the next 22 years.

“This is especially if government allocates more resources to fix roads, airports, railways, water, communication, and health projects,” Fengler said early this week in Nairobi.

Fengler noted that Kenya’s economic fundamentals are intact and if fully exploited will help address major ills hurting the economy mainly unemployment.

“Undertaking consistent infrastructure development is expected to boost economic growth and in the long run generate more jobs to the growing population,” Mr Fengler said while launching a book entitled “Realizing Kenya Dream.”

By 2030, the country’s population is expected to increase to over 60 million out of which about 75 per cent will be working in public and private sector.

Global market

Fengler explained that enhancing the infrastructure would equally make Kenya a competitive business player in the global market.

President Uhuru Kenyatta during his inauguration speech last month promised that government would expand the country labour force by creating one million every year.

The government, said the Head of State, would focus more on activities geared towards job creation and all line ministries and departments are expected to develop programmes to tame unemployment.

In the 2013/14 Budget Estimates, government allocated youth development and empowerment services Sh25.86 billion.

The money, according to the government, would be utilised to equip the youth with relevant skills, knowledge and right attitudes for the labour market and be productive citizens.

The government expects the end of the coming fiscal year would have achieved generation of skilled manpower in building and artisan industries.

Fengler said while other countries, for example, Germany would in over two decades have reduced their labour force, Kenya would be on an upward trend given support government would consistently accord to the economy.

Countries in the world according to experts can use infrastructure investments to foster youth employment and skill development. They say new jobs can be directly created in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure projects.

Infrastructure projects can equally be designed to provide technical training opportunities for young people

That is, Ministries responsible for such projects can upgrade their internal training centres, for example, partnering with local colleges, training institutes and vocational schools.

Jobless Kenyans

Further, infrastructure projects can support youth employment through entrepreneurial training.

Young people working on such projects can acquire business and management skills to help them create and run their own enterprises.

Official figures put the number of jobless Kenyans at 16 million. Most of them are the youth, and it’s the lack of employment which is driving many to crime.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reports that over 500,000 Kenyans leave school every year, only to face the harsh reality that there are no jobs.

The organisation notes that these graduates have a relatively high level of basic education, with a literacy rate at over 90 per cent.

A study by USAID states that, over the last six years, the Kenyan economy has generated only 150,000 jobs, leaving hundreds of thousands without employment.