The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), earmarked two million USD for building the potential of youth activity in selected higher institutions partnering with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Save the Children.
A one-year initiative which is being implemented by Save the Children, partner and six selected universities: Bahir Dar, Hawassa, Jigjiga, Jimma, Mekelle and Semera to equip graduates with the skills necessary to pursue and land appropriate job opportunities.
“The initiative helps our country to have competitive graduates in the market in compliance with the 15-year education road map to ensure quality education and jobs,” said Hirut W.Mariayam, from the Ministry of Higher education and science.
The capacity building will focus on high-order thinking skills, positive self-concepts, self-control and social skills to strengthen graduates’ employability. The activity will facilitate learning exchanges between universities at the national level as well as cross (inter) institutional peer exchanges while also developing a digital platform to link employers with educational institutes.
The support will address some of the existing gaps between the skill sets of university students and the demands of the job market they will face after graduation.
The six partner universities will in turn, create partnerships with Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions (TVET) in their geographic regions to address skills mismatches, improve graduates’ employability and create partnerships with the private sector and potential employers. Brandeis University from Massachusetts, USA will provide technical support during the implementation of this initiative in partnership with Save the Children.
“We believe investing in education is one of the best investments we can all make as this initiative will support Ethiopia’s Journey to self-reliance in line with the country’s education system reform,” said Sonjai Reynolds-Cooper, Director of USAID’s Education and Youth office.
Through this initiative, the partner universities and TVET colleges will be able to produce graduates with market relevant skills and experiences.
USAID funds $2 mln for youth
Inequality in Africa nears tipping point: Paper
Exacerbating inequality in Africa has become a crisis, reaching a “critical point” in the continent’s west, according to a paper presented at a seminar on inequality in Africa.
Organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in collaboration with Oxfam, the seminar was attended by UNECA officials, representatives of development agencies and academics.
Presenting the paper: “The West Africa Inequality Crisis”, Kwesi Obeng, Regional Program Advisor with West Africa Oxfam international said: “The wealthiest west Africans own more than anyone else in the region combined.”
According to the paper, inequality has been deepening in West Africa in spite of impressive economic growth over the past two years with six of the 10 fastest growing economies in Africa being in West Africa.
Nigeria, according to the paper, tops the list of the most unequal societies.
“In Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, the richest man earns about 150,000 times more from his wealth than the poorest 10% of Nigerians spend on average on their basic consumption in a year,” the paper said
It added: “It would cost about $24 billion a year to lift all Nigerians above the extreme poverty line of $1.90 a day. By comparison, the wealth of the five richest Nigerian men combined stands at $29.9 billion — more than the country’s entire budget in 2017.”
According to Obeng, most governments in West Africa were not giving enough attention to the issue, rather “choosing inequality crisis rather than addressing it.”
Speaking on the occasion, Adam Elhiraika, Director of Macroeconomics and Governance Division at UNECA said: “Inequality in Africa remains very high and a very serious problem.”
Inequality, he warned, “can create political and social instability in the continent.”
Africa, according to him, remains the poorest and second most unequal continent in the world after Latin America.
As part of a list of recommendations, Obeng said countries on the continent should “spend sufficiently on universal quality public services that reduce the gap between rich and poor and reduce gender disparities.”
He also called governments to redistribute from the rich to the poor through progressive taxation, rather than just levying taxes on consumption, which he said, would in most cases be tantamount to ‘punishing the poor’.
