Mvita youth leader Mohammed Hussein. [Photo/Maxwell Ngala]
Mvita youth leader Mohammed Hussein has said youth in Mombasa should be encouraged to venture into small businesses instead of searching for the already scarce employment opportunities.Speaking during a youth forum at Majengo in Mombasa on Thursday, Hussein said many youth in Mombasa are facing various economic challenges due to lack of jobs.He said youth are struggling with higher education with a notion that they will be employed as soon as they graduate, a situation he said is yet to be realised in Mombasa.He urged political leaders to always encourage self-employment whenever they address the youth and explain ways in which youth can be able to employ themselves.Mohammed said various opportunities for the youth are available in the county though very few leaders and the central government officers direct youth on how to become self-independent.“We want to see many youth launch their businesses so that they can also employ their colleagues and not for them to tarmac day and night searching for jobs,” he said.“With the current situation where many companies are shutting down their investments like the Nakumatt chain stores then we should accept that there are no jobs for us,” he added.Hussein who has been meeting several youth groups in Mvita since the beginning of the year creating awareness on how they can access loans and embrace self-employment, said the problems facing youth will be solved by if the youth come together to discuss amicable solutions to such problems.He challenged youth in Mombasa to apply for government funds and venture into income generating activities.