Kiambu – On 24 March 2018 the was officially launched the Reducing the adverse drivers of migration through local value chain development, a rural development project funded by the Agency with 1.5 million euro and implemented by the FAO in collaboration with the Kiambu County Government. The launch was attended by the Kiambu County Governor, Ferdinand Waititu, the Italian ambassador, Mauro Massoni, the AICS Nairobi Head of Office, Teresa Savanella, and the FAO representative in Kenya, Gabriel Rugalema.
The project aims to address the root causes of the emigration to Nairobi of young people coming from Kiambu County, a peri-urban area with a vibrant agricultural sector. Through support activities for entrepreneurship and development of value chains in agriculture, the project will contribute to job creation and will promote supply chain innovation, involving about 4.000 people. The intervention will strengthen the network of small and medium-sized enterprises and foster market-oriented production by developing those skills needed to transform products and promoting added value.
Un'attenzione particolare sarà rivolta ai giovani e alle donne, favorendo l’inclusione delle fasce più deboli attraverso opportunità d’impiego in loco e la crescita di attività imprenditoriali già esistenti nel settore. L’intervento, dunque, si allinea con due delle aree prioritarie della Big Four Agenda del presidente Kenyatta: la creazione opportunità di lavoro per i giovani e il miglioramento della sicurezza alimentare nel Paese.
Focus will be given to young people and women, fostering inclusion through employment opportunities in Kiambu, and growth of entrepreneurial activities already operating in the sector. The project activities are aligned with two of the priority areas of President Kenyatta's Big Four Agenda: job creation for young people and food security increase in the Country.
Nel sottolineare l’importanza di un progetto nato da una proposta delle autorità locali in risposta a un problema concreto, l’ambasciatore Massoni ha evidenziato come l’Italia costituisca un partner strategico per il Kenya, "un partner amico, che non impone idee e soluzioni, ma che collabora e accompagna le istituzioni in un viaggio comune per lo sviluppo e la trasformazione del Paese. Il successo di questo progetto – ha poi aggiunto – potrà cambiare il paradigma e aprire la strada a collaborazioni future, su simili progetti, con il coinvolgimento delle OSC italiane, del settore pubblico e di quello privato, sia italiano che keniota."
In underlining the importance of this project, coming from a proposal by local authorities in response to a real issue, Ambassador Massoni highlighted how Italy is a strategic partner for Kenya, "a friendly partner, who does not impose ideas and solutions, but that collaborates and accompanies the institutions in a common journey for development and transformation of the Country. The success of this project - he added - will change the paradigm and open the way for future collaborations on similar projects, with the involvement of the Italian CSOs, and public and private sector - both Italian and Kenyan."
Following Swahili's motto "Kilimo Ni Swag" - agriculture is cool - all the actors involved have affirmed their commitment to transform agriculture into an interesting and attractive activity for young people, thus reducing migration of young people due to economic or social fragility.
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