Employers’ summit to give road map on creating one million jobs

The first African Employers Summit to be held in May 2016 is set to provide the government with the road map on realizing its pledge for one million jobs for the youth.
Organised by the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), four major areas have been cited to pioneer the talks that will involve over 25 African countries with hundreds of delegates from the global arena.
Skills, challenge in job creation, role of employers' organisations and productivity in the manufacturing sector will be the summits' centre stage.
Principal Secretary in charge of state cooperatives Ali Noor said the country needs to diversify the manufacturing sector to realize these jobs are created.
"For long these sector has been contributing just 11 per cent of the country's growing Gross Domestic Product despite the numerous potentials in the sector," said Noor.
Noor said right investments have to be made in skills to boost the sector and provide legislations to make it easy for industries to acquire funds from cooperatives.
According to the ministry, cooperatives are said to command an asset base of Sh600 billion having mobilised savings to the tune of Sh800 billion.
Up to December 2015, cooperatives are said to have granted members loans to the tune of Sh540 billion.
"The growing number of youth is slowly suffocating the economy which calls for restructuring of our investment programmes," noted FKE Executive Director Jacqueline Mugo.
FKE Chair Linus Gitahi said with proper inclusive productivity the country will get rid of the unemployment and underemployment menace that has long crippled the economy: "This is not a desirable state as Kenya has a pool of resources that can anchor its growth through diverse and inclusive investments."
One out of every three Kenyans is not employed contributing to the about 10 million unemployed youth in the country.
The upcoming summit will take place in Naivasha from May 5 to 6th with President Uhuru being expected to officiate it.