Shining Hope for Communities (Shofco) on Thursday presented amendments to the draft Creative Industry Bill 2023 before stakeholders at the Kenya School of Government.
The organisation, through its Shofco Urban Network (SUN) Youth leadership, wants the Bill to have a close that compels the government to offer business opportunities to Kenyans in the creative industry.
“While we consider the Bill and the Policy well thought-through, the youth we have interacted with and discussed its contents with have proposed that the Ministry sponsoring the Bill considers very strongly amending Clause 9 of the Bill to add the below-proposed infrastructure support provisions: (k) provide access to creative economy business opportunities within government; and (j) facilitate access to creative economy opportunities in foreign countries,” reads part of the document Shofco presented before stakeholders led by Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba.
Shofco said if the amendments are adopted, then the youth will have an opportunity to present their creative works and interventions to the government at the national and county levels.
“This gives room for the government to provide additional employment and business opportunities to the youth in Kenya and to adopt creative works that can improve efficiency in service delivery and citizen engagement,” Shofco stated.
At the same time, the organisation argued that the amendments will provide an explicit legal foundation for the government to support youth with exceptional creative works and interventions to approach foreign governments, companies and organisations in a structured manner that allows them to benefit from opportunities outside Kenya.
“This will provide a channel through which Kenyan youth can internationalize their creative works in the context of the global economy and benefit from structured government support to search for employment or business opportunities in terms of protection of intellectual property, proper attribution of ownership or authorship of the works and access to foreign countries through the government's existing and effective networks,” Shofco added.
Shofco is at the forefront of addressing challenges facing young people across Kenya, especially those in the informal settlements and semi-rural areas across Kenya.
Through its Youth Voice program, the organisation is seeking to reach two million youth across Kenya in the next five years through various courses that include sports, financial access, training, job placements, and mental health sessions.
“Under our Youth Voice program, young people in the informal settlements will have access to dignified work by participating in job training and will be connected to employment opportunities, bursaries and financial literacy education.
“Youth entrepreneurs will network and develop partnerships to launch their businesses, and all young people will have access to ongoing mentorship to continue on their journey of economic empowerment,” Shofco Founder and CEO Dr Kennedy Odede said.
So far, the program has reached over 100,000 youth in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Kakamega, and Siaya counties.
“The project will enhance access to financial services for young people in informal settlements through SHOFCO initiatives that provide credit access and financial literacy education.
“These platforms will offer youth-focused financial products tailored to their unique needs, including loans for school fees, business start-ups and investment capital,” Dr Odede added.
