The World Bank has thrown its weight behind Kenya’s ambitious plan to establish a National Infrastructure Fund aimed at transforming the country’s economic landscape.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 18, President William Ruto revealed that the global financial institution has endorsed the bold initiative designed to expand the nation’s road and rail networks, irrigation systems, and energy generation capacity.
According to President Ruto, the World Bank has particularly commended Kenya’s proposal to construct 50 mega dams, which would expand irrigated land by 2.5 million acres, describing it as the country’s only pathway to sustainable and increased agricultural production.
“The World Bank has supported Kenya’s bold decision to set up a National Infrastructure Fund to expand the road and rail network, irrigation and energy generation,” President Ruto stated following a meeting with World Bank Africa Executive Director of Africa Group One Zarau Kibwe at State House, Nairobi.
The Bank’s endorsement acknowledges that irrigation represents a new frontier for food production in Kenya, where 85 percent of the land is classified as arid or semi-arid.
The institution noted that rain-fed agriculture in the country’s 15 percent arable land has reached its capacity limits.
The National Infrastructure Fund has been designed to mobilize financing for an extensive development agenda that includes the construction of 50 dams, 20,000 kilometers of roads, particularly in rural areas, and the dualization of 2,000 kilometers of highways.
The fund will also support the generation of an additional 10,000 megawatts of electricity to facilitate manufacturing and industrialization across the country.
The World Bank’s commitment to Kenya’s development extends beyond infrastructure, with significant investments in youth empowerment programs.
The institution is financing the National Youth Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project, a major initiative building on the earlier Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Program (KYEOP).
Approved by the World Bank Board in June 2023, NYOTA was formalized as a loan to Kenya with a total project value of USD 200 million and a commitment of USD 229 million. The program launched operations on June 21, 2024, and is set to run through December 31, 2028.
The project operates under the coordination of the Micro and Small Enterprise Authority, the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Arts and Sports, and the National Social Security Fund, with technical and financial oversight from the World Bank’s Eastern and Southern Africa regional team.
NYOTA aims to enhance youth employment, self-reliance, and financial resilience across all 47 counties in Kenya through an integrated framework that combines skills training, entrepreneurship support, and structured savings programs.
The initiative focuses on young people aged 18 to 29, and up to 35 for Persons with Disabilities, who have limited or no formal education and are either unemployed, underemployed, or earning low wages.
