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The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Foundation through Sustainable Inclusive Business has trained over 100 youth in Mombasa on the waste to value concept.

The training was part of the COAST Project (Creating Opportunities and Alleviating Poverty Through Sustainable Trade) launched in July.

It aims to create awareness on waste management and increase the participants’ capacity to develop business cases through mentorship.

The program has further empowered trainees to harness their entrepreneurship skills; enhance access to financing and begin micro and small businesses based on sustainable waste management models.

Out of it, 19 businesses related to waste management have been created, from which 13 have been awarded seed funding from the project.

“At the end of the training, the participants presented us with business plans on various models related to waste.We congratulate the winners of the seed fund competition, and look forward to seeing them take root,”said Sustainable Inclusive Business Program Manager Ebenezer Amadi.

“We believe that by educating the youth of alternative sources of income from waste will increase employment opportunities and enhance skills in business management and financial literacy by 5%,” he added.

He was speaking at the Coast Fair for Sustainable Waste Management,an exhibition bringing together waste collectors, recyclers, manufacturers and youth and women groups engaging in businesses related to waste.

Mombasa County CEC Environment Dr. Godfrey Nyongesa Nato who officially opened the fair, applauded the role of KEPSA and partners in empowering the youth while contributing to the betterment of the environment.

By embracing public private partnerships that adopt the circular economy model, both KEPSA and the Mombasa County Government aim to address sustainable development challenges and contribute to Kenya’s vision 2030 on developing targeted pro-poor projects.

Solid waste management in Mombasa is still a major challenge and a health risk to residents living close to dumping sites; with about 900 tons of waste generated each day.

While the sector is still informal, inadequate sensitization has further left the public oblivious of the goldmine that is waste.

The innovative and comprehensive project is supported by the French Government under the PISCCA fund.

Source: The Star