By Adan Mohamed - Reporter
August 24, 2026 - Nearly 3,000 young people across Mandera County are graduating from a 20-day social-emotional skills development programme under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project.
The graduation ceremony for beneficiaries from Mandera marks the completion of the first phase of training before the youth transition to a five-month On-the-Job Experience (OJE) and apprenticeship programme.
Speaking during the ceremony, Abdullahi Yusuf Mohamed, County Director for Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Creative Economy, said the 20-day training was designed to prepare beneficiaries for the next stage of practical workplace experience.
“Today marks the end of 20 days of social-emotional skills development as the youth transition to On-the-Job Experience and apprenticeship training, which will run for another five months,” Mohamed said.
He explained that the beneficiaries will spend a total of six months in the programme, combining the initial social-emotional skills training with the subsequent five months of workplace-based learning.
The training ran from August 3 to August 23, with participants attending sessions throughout the programme period Mohamed said presentations made by the beneficiaries during the graduation demonstrated the skills and knowledge they had acquired.
According to Mohamed, approximately 3,000 youth are currently benefiting from the OJE component across Mandera County.
The beneficiaries are undergoing training through 15 approved centres, with two service providers contracted by the NYOTA programme to deliver the social-emotional skills training.
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He said daily attendance reports from the various centres had helped track participation and monitor the implementation of the programme across the county.
The NYOTA programme has two major components targeting youth empowerment. Mohamed said Component Two has already benefited approximately 2,500 youth in Mandera County through grants and start-up capital to support their economic activities.
The current phase, Component One, focuses on providing young people with social-emotional skills followed by practical On-the-Job Experience and apprenticeship opportunities.
Mohamed said the programme is intended to equip young people with skills and experience that can improve their employability, entrepreneurship prospects and ability to transition into sustainable livelihoods.
The graduation marks an important step for the Mandera beneficiaries as they prepare to begin the next five months of practical workplace and apprenticeship training under the NYOTA programme.