United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Italian Agency for Development Cooperation have inked a US $ 2.9 million project with the intent of creating employment opportunities for women and youth in Ethiopia’s textile and garment industry.
Giuseppe Mistretta, Ambassador of Italy to Ethiopia and Gustavo Aishemberg, a UNIDO representative recently signed the deal for the 3-year long project.
Under the collaborative project, capacity building programmes will be initiated to train and impart skills to the workers in garment manufacturing hubs like Addis Ababa and Tigray. Italian Agency for Development Cooperation is providing financial support for the smooth implementation of the project.
Besides creating job opportunities, the project will also assist all the Government-supported programmes for the Ethiopian textile and garment industry. Textile and garment entrepreneurs of Ethiopia would also benefit from the project which aims to enhance their capacity. This will consequently increase the workforce and thereby the productivity of the industry.
The implementation of the project is expected to keep the youth of Ethiopia away from nefarious activities like smuggling and unlawful migration. Additionally, the public-private partnership will be encouraged under the initiative to create jobs for the workers trained.
The joint project is also the first ever initiative taken under the framework of ‘Fund for Africa’ to fight issues like human trafficking and migration in countries like Ethiopia.
