A Vision for a Stronger Coast: Icon Radio Kenya’s Partnership with the Coast Development Authority

August 3, 2026

By Ronny Choge

Mzee Mwinyi Mzee – Chairman of the Coast Development Authority and Brand Em Solutions Directors during inspection of TVET facilities

Building Pathways from Community Needs to Opportunity

As part of Icon Radio Kenya’s engagement with Coast development initiatives, facilitated by the Coast Development Authority (CDA) under Chairman Mzee Mwinyi Mzee, our team recently visited the Kisauni Vocational Training Centre — an institution with a 58-year history of community-led achievement and resilience.

The visit offered a close look at the realities facing many communities and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) along the Coast: persistent poverty, youth unemployment, school dropout rates, substance abuse, and limited access to skills development, markets, and sustainable income opportunities.

It raised a pressing question — how do we move young people from skills development to actual economic opportunity?

Media as a Bridge, Not Just a Broadcast

At Icon Radio Kenya, our work extends beyond media and broadcasting. We are building B2B linkages and strategic partnerships that connect institutions, businesses, CBOs, development partners, and communities to opportunities within the evolving digital and creative economy.

We see Icon Radio as a bridge — helping stakeholders connect, share priorities, and align efforts around practical, implementable solutions.

The visit to Kisauni reinforced the need to identify where young people can be equipped with relevant, affordable, and practical skills, including:

🎙️ Radio & Media Training — communication, production, and digital storytelling
🎨 Artist Development — nurturing creative talent and connecting it to the wider creative economy
💰 Financial Literacy — building capacity in money management, entrepreneurship, and sustainable income generation

We are exploring how these programmes can be integrated with institutions such as Kisauni Vocational Training Centre and other TVETs along the Coast, in a way that is accessible, cost-effective, and directly linked to opportunity creation.

The goal is not simply to train young people. It is to make them more enterprising, employable, and economically empowered — while creating an ecosystem where government, the private sector, CBOs, and development partners can invest in their potential.

Because training without opportunity is incomplete. We must build the bridge between community needs, skills development, learning, earning, and enterprise. The Coast has immense talent and potential — our opportunity is to build the partnerships and ecosystem needed to unlock it.

Something Big Is Coming to the Coast

The Coast is rich in people, culture, innovation, and untapped economic potential — yet many opportunities remain unexplored.

Brand Em Solutions Co-Director Myra Maloba gives insights during one of the consultative meetings with Coast Development Authority

To help unlock this potential, the CDA, in partnership with Smart Move Community, is planning the 2026 Coastal Summit — a platform bringing together youth, community leaders, policymakers, investors, development partners, innovators, and the private sector to shape a shared vision for the region’s future.

The summit will focus on unlocking opportunities in:

The Blue Economy
Tourism
Agribusiness
Climate resilience
Entrepreneurship and innovation
Investment and youth empowerment

— while addressing the challenges that continue to hinder the Coast’s growth.

As preparations gather momentum, the CDA held a strategic brainstorming session with Brand Em Solutions Limited to explore innovative marketing and communication strategies that will position the summit as one of the region’s flagship events.

This is just the beginning. The CDA is actively seeking partnerships, sponsors, and development partners to help make the Coastal Summit a success.

Watch this space.

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