Kenyan Ambassador to France Salma Ahmed addressing a youth conference in Old Town, Mombasa. [Photo/ Maxwell Ngala]Leaders in Mombasa have been challenged to implement various economic programmes in a bid to provide employment to youth in the county.Kenyan Ambassador to France Salma Ahmed said that it is only through dedicated and hardworking leaders that youth in the county will have a chance to prosper and attain their goals.Ahmed said the emergence of young criminal gangs in the county was as a result of incompetent leaders who have no agenda for the young generation.She criticized the Mombasa County government for sidelining youth and appealed the county leadership to implement programmes that would see youth generate their own income.“These economic problems facing our youth are just but our own creation. Why wouldn’t the county government focus more on our youth?” she asked.Addressing a youth forum at Old Town in Mombasa on Wednesday, the Ambassador said youth are the pillar of development and sidelining them would be costly to the county’s economy.She appealed to Mombasa Governor-elect Hassan Joho, Senator-elect Mohammed Faki and Women Representative-elect Asha Hussein Mohammed to come up with ways of uplifting youth economically.“We have a booming tourism sector, the fishing industry and small scale businesses which should be upgraded to directly benefit our youth,” said Ahmed.Ahmed further said that low education levels among youth in Mombasa is an issue that needs to be urgently tackled.She said the only way to end poverty in the county was by ensuring youth are educated and equipped with necessary skills.

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