Over 300 Kisumu Youths to Get Ksh1 Million Loans for Fish Cage Farming
More than 300 youth in Kisumu County to get loans and training to boost food security and youth empowerment.
Over 300 youth in Kisumu will soon get loans of up to Ksh1 million each to venture into fish cage farming, courtesy of a new programme by Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) in partnership with Aquaculture Barn and a local bank.
In a statement issued on Thursday, September 11, YEDF announced that 21 youth groups have been selected to participate in the project which will run in two cohorts. Each group comprising young entrepreneurs will get financial support to set up fish cages in Lake Victoria, rear fish and sell their harvests.
Repayment of the loans will be structured from the profits made after the sales, so the groups will not only start their businesses but also build financial discipline in the process.
Beyond access to capital, the programme offers end-to-end support. Kisumu based innovation hub Aquaculture Barn will lead the training and mentorship, equipping the participants with the technical knowhow to maximise yields. With experience in aquaculture, the hub will guide the youth to profitability.
The programme comes at a time when food security and unemployment are big issues in the country. Experts see cage aquaculture as a modern and efficient way of fish farming with high returns if well managed. A single cage unit can produce several tonnes of fish at a time making it a viable business for the youth in the region.
The programme is also in line with the governments broader agricultural transformation agenda which prioritises youth involvement in agribusiness as a driver of economic growth. Earlier this year in March, YEDF partnered with Hustler Fund to provide loans of up to Ksh5 million to disciplined young entrepreneurs, showing a growing push to expand financial opportunities for Kenya’s youth.
By combining access to finance, mentorship and agricultural innovation, the Kisumu aquaculture project can be a model for similar projects across the country—empowering the youth while addressing food production challenges.
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Over 300 Kisumu Youths to Get Ksh1 Million Loans for Fish Cage Farming