NYOTA Project Kicks Off Nationwide Verification Exercise Ahead of Entrepreneurship Support Rollout

NYOTA Project Kicks Off Nationwide Verification Exercise Ahead of Entrepreneurship Support Rollout

The Government of Kenya has announced the commencement of the nationwide verification exercise for the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project, a five-year initiative funded by the World Bank and aimed at transforming the lives of vulnerable youth across the country.

The physical validation exercise for the Business Support Component is scheduled to take place on Friday, 24th October 2025, across all 290 constituency headquarters in Kenya. The process will confirm the authenticity and eligibility of applicants for the entrepreneurship support phase, which targets 100,000 youth entrepreneurs.

Under this component, selected youth will receive entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and start-up grants of KSh 50,000 each to launch and grow their businesses.

Validation and Entrepreneurship Test Requirements

According to the Ministry of Youth Affairs, each constituency will host validation centres with ward-level breakout stations to ensure efficient and transparent verification. Applicants must present their National Identity Cards, while Persons with Disabilities are required to provide their disability identification cards for authentication.

A key part of the validation process is the Entrepreneurship Aptitude Test (EAT), which remains a mandatory requirement for final selection into the Business Support component. Applicants who have not yet taken the test can do so on-site during the validation.

To take the test, youth are required to send the word NYOTA to 40270 and complete all 19 questions via SMS. The test is free of charge, accessible on any mobile phone, and available in multiple languages.
The deadline for completing the test is Friday, 24th October 2025, at 12:00 p.m.

Empowering Kenya’s Youth

The validation exercise and EAT mark a significant step in empowering Kenya’s young people with practical tools for entrepreneurship, employment, and sustainable livelihoods. Attendance and completion of the EAT are compulsory for consideration.

Once the physical validation concludes, the NYOTA Project Team will analyze the EAT performance and other verification results over a three-day review period. A final list of successful beneficiaries will then be published, followed by induction and training sessions to prepare them for the business start-up phase.

About the NYOTA Project

The NYOTA Project aims to reach at least 820,000 youth aged between 18 and 29 years, and up to 35 years for Persons with Disabilities, across 1,450 wards in Kenya.

It focuses on enhancing youth employability, supporting entrepreneurship, and promoting a culture of savings through four key interventions:

1. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

2. On-Job Experience (OJE)

3. Business Support

4. Digital Training on Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) and the e-GP platform.

The initiative underscores the government’s commitment to inclusive economic growth and youth transformation through a whole-of-government approach, led by Principal Secretaries, elected leaders, National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs), and the NYOTA Implementation Team.