PS Mang’eni Explains Why NYOTA Grants Won’t Cover College and University Students

Principal Secretary for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Susan Mang’eni has clarified that the government’s National Youth Opportunity Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Programme will exclude college and university students from among its beneficiaries.

PS Mang’eni said the NYOTA initiative specifically targets young people who have limited access to education, employment, and financial opportunities. She noted that the programme’s main goal is to uplift youth most affected by economic challenges and help them become self-reliant.

Mang’eni explained that the application process was conducted entirely online through the Hustler Fund platform, using the zero-rated USSD code *254#, to ensure equal access for all youth – including those without smartphones.

“We rolled it out digitally, and the reason why we’ve done it digitally is so that nobody says you must know someone. Here, it’s only your phone. And we leveraged on the zero-rated channel of Hustler Fund, which is *254#, whether you have a feature phone or a smartphone, you could still access it,” she said during an interview on NTV on Tuesday.

The PS revealed that out of the 1.4 million young people who applied, approximately 300,000 did not complete the registration process, and 1.1 million successfully provided their applications. She also added that nearly 200,000 of the applicants were university and college students, which made the ministry revise and segment the programme to ensure it benefits the intended target group.

“At least 200,000 were college and university students. That’s why now we are segmenting this initiative. This is targeting those very bottom of the economic pyramid,” she explained.

The PS emphasized that the NYOTA Programme is designed to uplift young people at the lowest levels of the economic pyramid. She noted that the ministry is already working on separate initiatives to specifically cater to college and university students.

“We are working out other initiatives that are now going to target college and university students, because even they need opportunities,” she said.

Mang’eni assured that applicants who do not qualify for the current phase will still have a chance to benefit from future government programmes.

“Even if they are not successful, provided you’re on that pipeline, now you are going to be in an ecosystem where we have other existing initiatives or new initiatives. We will always have you there,” she explained.

She highlighted the overwhelming number of applications as a clear sign of growing public confidence in government efforts to empower the youth.

“Recently, when we just opened this small window, we got almost 800,000. In one week that elapsed on Sunday, it was almost one million. Those who have completed are almost 550,000. That shows there is trust,” Mang’eni said.

The NYOTA Programme’s first phase aims to support 54,000 young people with start-up grants, followed by immediate skills training to help them launch and sustain small businesses. Beyond funding, the programme will also provide mentorship, access to business infrastructure, and guidance to promote long-term growth and job creation.

In addition, all beneficiaries will be enrolled in the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to encourage a savings culture as they expand their enterprises.

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