UN avails $2,8m to Zim entrepreneurs
THE United Nations has availed $2,8 million to support young entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe under the Youth and Women Economic Empowerment Project ( E4WAY Project).
The initiative is being rolled out through a partnership model involving the African Development Bank, the government of Zimbabwe and UN’s International Labour Organisation.
UN communication specialist in the country, Mr Sirak Gebrehiwot, said the aim of the E4WAY Project was to promote economic empowerment of women and the youth in rural areas.
“This project targets youth and women who run SMEs, associations, cooperatives and vocational training centres. They will co-own the processing enterprises to be established by the project,” he said.
Mr Gebrehiwot said the UN was facilitating the integration of youths and women into local value chains as a pathway for employment creation and improvement of incomes and living standards.
He said the UN is working closely with the Government in supporting the establishment of “anchor processing enterprises” to strengthen the efficiency of four value chains, which provide sustenance to rural communities.
“The E4WAY Project will support the establishment of processing enterprises in seven poor districts of Zimbabwe, Guruve District, with a focus on the artisanal gold mining value chain, Marondera and Lupane District, with a focus on the honey value chain, Mutasa, Chimanimani and Mutoko District, with a focus on the horticulture value chain and Beitbridge District, with a focus on the mopane worms ( amacimbi) value chain,” he said.
Mr Gebrehiwot said the project seeks to promote value addition and improve the performance of local micro-enterprises and cooperatives.
“This aims on leveraging economies of scale to supply inputs to the anchor enterprises on a continuous and competitive basis,” he said.
Mr Gebrehiwot said one of their projects, Mopane Caterpillar Processing plant in Beitbridge, would be fully operational next month.
“Construction is near completion with the shell factory at 80 percent complete. The processing centre will provide an alternative market for harvesters of mopane worms who are mostly women,” he said.
He said the project would eliminate the exploitative middlemen in the mopane worms value chain, thereby increasing incomes for the harvesters.
ILO and AfDB recently joined efforts to help African countries to harness their population’s potential by supporting effective skills development, small to medium enterprises and addressing unemployment among youth and women.
Recently, the ILO director to Zimbabwe and Namibia, Ms Hopolang Phororo, said projects in Zimbabwe were a vehicle for addressing issues of rural unemployment and gender inequality. — @tamary98