Govt rolls out free digital training to help youth, women and PWDs win public tenders
Susan Mang’eni PS State Department for MSMEs speaking to the press during a media briefing in Nairobi she is accompanied by Evans Oyaro, Diretor KIBT and Mohammed Doyo , Secretary MSMEs , State Department for MSMEs Development
The government has rolled out a free digital training programme to equip young entrepreneurs, women and persons with disabilities with the skills and knowledge needed to win government tenders under the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) initiative. The NYOTA AGPO Digital Training Programme is expected to benefit over 600,000 entrepreneurs across the country.
The programme is open to all NYOTA applicants and the targeted AGPO groups, regardless of their age or education qualifications. Beneficiaries will also be linked to financing, markets and digital opportunities as the government seeks to widen participation in public procurement.
Speaking during the rollout in Nairobi, Principal Secretary for MSMEs Susan Mang’eni said the programme is the fourth component of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project. She said it builds on existing components, including Business Support, On Job Experience and Recognition of Prior Learning, and will eventually widen NYOTA’s reach to over 820,000 beneficiaries as per the project design.
“The training will not only widen youth participation in public procurement but also facilitate linkages to financing, markets, digitization to unlock opportunities for youth entrepreneurship,” said Mang’eni.
The programme extends to the traditional AGPO groups, including women, persons with disabilities and youth, among them those in colleges. Under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015, government reserves at least 30 per cent of its annual procurement budget for enterprises owned by these groups. This translates to at least Ksh 300 billion in the current financial year.
Despite the opportunity, the PS said uptake remains low. Many eligible beneficiaries face barriers such as low awareness of AGPO, complex application procedures, low business formalisation and limited enterprise readiness, which the training is designed to address.
The training is offered free of charge and is structured into five self-paced modules delivered over 10 weeks. Each module runs for two weeks, with coursework in the first week and practical sessions in the second. Topics include AGPO eligibility and certification, bid preparation, bidding on the government’s electronic procurement systems, IFMIS and e-GP, contract execution, cash-flow management, and record keeping. The practical sessions will feature webinars by subject matter experts and industry leaders, as well as live interactive sessions. Content is available in both English and Kiswahili.
To enrol, applicants should dial the zero-rated USSD short code *254#, select NYOTA AGPO and complete the registration steps. They will then receive an SMS with a link to the training platform. The government, in partnership with Safaricom, is organising subsidised data bundles that will be made available to all successful applicants.
On completion, beneficiaries will receive a proficiency certificate. Those without a registered business or AGPO certificate will be linked to Business Registration Services to register a sole proprietorship, with waivers that the government says it is working on.
The government is also developing a mechanism that will allow AGPO suppliers to discount their invoices within 60 days of delivery, easing the daily credit struggles of small traders.
“This intervention, together with the recent Cabinet directive on the prioritization of settling pending bills of Ksh 50 million value and below, will reduce the pending bills nightmare which most small traders bear,” she said.
The PS said the government will enhance the reservation of 30 per cent of tenders by public entities and repurpose catalytic funds to develop structured trade financing products for young people.
“We call upon all eligible youth, women and persons with disabilities across the country to maximize this programme and enhance their access to government procurement opportunities,” Mang’eni said.