Hargeisa- 2nd September 2018 – There is new hope for Somali youth following a strong commitment from the government and other key stakeholders to address the rising youth unemployment by creating an enabling environment to promote decent employment specifically targeting young people.
The commitment was reached at end of a two-day national conference on employment hosted by the Ministry of Employment, Social and Family Affairs and Save the Children with support from DANIDA and the European Union.
At the conference the government committed to review and adopt legal frameworks that will promote youth employment, increase investment in productive sectors and encourage agri-business for job creation.
The conference was opened by the H.E President Muse Biihi, and it provided a platform for key stakeholders including the government, Save the Children, donors, the private sector and civil society to engage and exchange ideas on best ways to promote employment opportunities for the youth.
According to available statistics, at least 60% of youth in Somaliland are unemployed. The conference discussed in detail the current situation and the impact it on young people as well as the social, economic development of Somaliland.
“We are committed finding sustainable solutions for our youth. To achieve this, the contribution of everyone including our private sector, donors and civil society is critical. We call upon everyone to join us in creating decent employment opportunities for youth, ” said Hinda Jama, the minister for Employment, Social and Family Affairs at the opening ceremony.
With financial support from DANIDA and the European Union, Save the Children, in partnership with MESFA, has been implementing skills training and employment promotion programs to address challenges of youth unemployment in Somaliland. Early this year, the program supported the ministry of employment and social affairs to establish the national employment forum, which encompasses members from the government, private sector, Academic sector and developing partners to promote employment opportunities for youth in Somaliland. The purpose of the forum is to develop clear employment strategies that help reduce the unemployment rate in Somaliland.
“Our skills training programs target the most vulnerable youth groups so that they can get better opportunities to provide for their families and children,” said Mohamud Egeh, Deputy Area Representative for Save the Children in Somaliland. He added that in the last three years, Save the Children have trained over 730 youth of which 565 of them are now fully employed. “We commit to continue this support to provide more opportunities for youth.”
The conference participants also committed to strengthen linkages between TVET and higher education with private sector to design programmes that meet the labor market demands. They also agreed to establish corporate social responsibility fund that will support youth employment.
Save the Children is a strategic partner of the Ministry of Employment and Social affairs of Somaliland. We worked in Somaliland since 1950’s, when we set up a vocational school for orphaned boys in Somaliland. Currently, our programs cover Education, Health and Nutrition, Skills Training and Employment Promotion Services, Livelihood/Resilience programs and Child Protection and Child Right Governance.
ENDS
For More information, contact:
Mowlid Mudan, Media and Communications manager, Save the Children: Mowlid.Mudan@savethechildren.org; +252634470781
Saddam Hussein Carab; Communications coordinator, Save the Children saddam.carab@savethechildren.org; +252634421786
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