Kenya is set to open the two-day Skill Up Africa 2025 forum on 15 July at Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Convention Centre, coinciding with the United Nations-designated World Youth Skills Day. The free-to-attend event will bring together government officials, development partners and private-sector employers to address the country’s persistently high youth unemployment and the growing demand for new competencies in an economy reshaped by artificial intelligence and automation. Organisers say the conference will run alongside an AI hackathon aimed at developing digital solutions for the tourism and events industries. Gideon Murenga, national coordinator for TVET programmes at GIZ Kenya, said the pace of technological change requires “bold, innovative and inclusive” responses, while ILO representative Isaac Muema framed the discussion as part of the organisation’s broader decent-work agenda. The Technical and Vocational Education and Training regulator added that new national standards have been issued to ensure institutions place greater emphasis on soft skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving. Speakers including private-sector adviser Caroline Nabiswa and policy analyst Jimmy Delyon underscored that technical know-how alone is no longer sufficient to secure or advance employment. Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime called on companies, donors and educators to view Kenya’s youthful demographic as an asset rather than a constraint. Outcomes of the forum are expected to feed into ongoing government efforts to align training programmes with labour-market needs and to expand apprenticeship opportunities across high-growth sectors.