Government Launches Free NYOTA AGPO Training Targeting 600,000 Young Entrepreneurs
The government has launched the NYOTA AGPO Digital Training Programme, targeting more than 600,000 young entrepreneurs, women and persons with disabilities to equip them with skills to access government procurement opportunities.
The programme, rolled out on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, is the fourth component of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project and seeks to address barriers preventing eligible businesses from benefiting from government tenders.
Principal Secretary for the State Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Susan Mang’eni, said the initiative would expand the reach of the NYOTA Project to more than 820,000 beneficiaries, building on the ongoing Business Support, On-the-Job Experience (OJE) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) components.
Mang’eni said all NYOTA Project applicants and members of the targeted AGPO beneficiary groups, including women and persons with disabilities, are eligible for the training regardless of their age or educational qualifications.
The Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme is anchored in Section 53(6) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015, which requires at least 30 per cent of government procurement opportunities to be reserved for enterprises owned by youth, women and persons with disabilities.
According to Mang’eni, the current financial year’s national budget is estimated at Sh4.8 trillion, creating procurement opportunities worth at least Sh1 trillion.
She said the 30 per cent AGPO reservation translates to at least Sh300 billion in potential government tenders.
However, despite the available opportunities, uptake among eligible businesses remains low due to limited awareness of AGPO, complicated application procedures, inadequate business formalisation and limited capacity to meet tender requirements.
Mang’eni said the digital training programme was designed to address these challenges by equipping young entrepreneurs with the knowledge and practical skills needed to participate in public procurement.
The initiative will also connect beneficiaries to financing opportunities, markets and digital business solutions to strengthen their enterprises and improve their ability to secure and execute government contracts.
“The training is offered free of charge and structured into five self-paced modules delivered in a 10-week spread. Each module covers two weeks: coursework in the first week and the second week for practical sessions, in a successive sequence,” Mang’eni said.
She added that the practical sessions would include webinars conducted by subject matter experts and industry leaders, alongside live interactive sessions to help participants understand the training content.
The course materials will be available in both English and Kiswahili to accommodate participants across the country.
How to Register for NYOTA AGPO Digital Training
Interested applicants can enrol by dialling the zero-rated USSD short code *254# and selecting the NYOTA AGPO option.
Applicants will then be required to complete the registration process before receiving an SMS containing a link to the digital training platform.
The government, in partnership with Safaricom, is also arranging a subsidised data bundle to help successful applicants access the online training.
Upon completing the course, beneficiaries will receive proficiency certificates to demonstrate the skills acquired during the programme.
Those without registered businesses or AGPO certificates will be linked to the Business Registration Service (BRS) to facilitate the registration of sole proprietorships.
Mang’eni said the government was working on providing considerable waivers to make business registration more affordable for the targeted beneficiaries.
Beyond training, the government is developing additional interventions to help young entrepreneurs overcome financial challenges associated with securing and executing government tenders.
Mang’eni said the government was working on a debt-offsetting mechanism that would allow AGPO suppliers to discount their invoices within 60 days after delivering goods or services.
The proposed intervention is expected to help small businesses access working capital instead of waiting for government entities to settle their invoices.
She said the initiative would complement a recent Cabinet directive prioritising the settlement of pending bills valued at Sh50 million and below.
The measures are intended to ease the financial pressure on small businesses that supply goods and services to government institutions but struggle with delayed payments.
The NYOTA AGPO programme is therefore designed to provide an end-to-end support system connecting entrepreneurs to training, business registration, financing and government procurement opportunities through the Electronic Government Procurement (eGP) system.
The government also plans to strengthen enforcement of the 30 per cent procurement reservation across public entities to increase the number of opportunities available to eligible businesses.
Additionally, catalytic funds will be repurposed to develop structured trade financing products that will help young entrepreneurs access and utilise AGPO tenders.
Mang’eni urged eligible youth, women and persons with disabilities to take advantage of the free training and position their businesses to benefit from government procurement opportunities.
“We call upon all eligible youth, women and persons with disabilities across the country to maximize this programme and enhance their access to government procurement opportunities,” she said.
