Mimi Niko Kazi youth employment programme and E4D launch partnership | Mozambique

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Mimi Niko Kazi youth employment programme and E4D launch partnership | Mozambique

11:07 CAT | 17 Mar 2021

Photo: Supplied by BIP & E4D

Young qualified Mozambicans now have more opportunities to be linked to employers for internships through the recently launched partnership between Mimi Niko Kazi (MNK) youth employment programme and the Employment and Skills for Development in Africa (E4D) Programme.

The partnership was launched on Tuesday, March 16, during a ceremony held at Mozal in the presence of the Governor of Maputo, Julio Parrúque and Teresa Mauaie, Administrator of the Boane district.

About 230 youth across all regions in Mozambique will benefit from this partnership which also helps companies identify, train and recruit best skilled candidates; contributing towards better employment opportunities for the youth.

E4D is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-funded by the European Union (EU), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the companies Quoniam Asset Management, Rio Tinto, Royal Dutch Shell, Sasol and Tullow Oil. It is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Mimi Niko Kazi, which translates to “I am at work” in Swahili, has been created and managed by the Beluluane Industrial Park (BIP) since 2018 in Maputo Province and has already graduated more than 500 interns, of which over 50% have secured permanent jobs.

The aim of the programme is to connect qualified young Mozambicans to employers, while at the same time helping companies to identify, train and recruit the best skilled candidates. Since 2021, the programme has expanded its reach and now matches interns with employers across all regions of Mozambique.

Commenting on the new partnership with E4D, Beluluane Industrial Park General Manager, Onorio Boane, says “The Mimi Niko Kazi youth employment programme is starting a new phase, with a new brand and expanding from initially being a regional programme to a nationwide one, in line with our project to develop a network of industrial parks in Mozambique. We are tremendously proud to start this new phase with a partner such as E4D, that is willing to work with us to positively impact the lives of the Mozambican youth.”

Programmes such as Mimi Niko Kazi play a pivotal role in the transfer of practical knowledge and skills to the young people in Mozambique and are an important bridge to employment.

“For youth in Mozambique the transition from education to employment is a huge and challenging step and missing practical experience is often one of the main barriers. A programme such as Mimi Niko Kazi provides opportunities to youth. At the same time, we also hope to increase the private sector’s awareness about the need to offer internships as an opportunity to learn on the job and a worthwhile investment in the future”, says Ingmar Kreisl, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Maputo.

The Governor of Maputo, Julio Parrúque, praised the Mimi Niko Kazi programme and its partners for this great initiative that will help the province and the country in the ongoing fight against unemployment and poverty.

According to the World Bank almost 500,000 people will enter Mozambique’s labor force each year over the next decade. Currently, 45% of the population is under the age of 15, and nearly two-thirds of the population is under the age of 25. The rapid addition of young people into Mozambique´s labor force is both an opportunity and a challenge. The Mimi Niko Kazi youth employment programme is a practical way to address this challenge.

About BIP

Beluluane Industrial Park is a Public-Private-Partnership between the Mozambican Government Agency for Investment & Export Promotion (APIEX) and Swiss-Mozambican investors. It is the biggest industrial park in Mozambique and it is developing a national network of special economic zones to support the sustainable industrialisation of the country. Youth employment is a pillar of the BIP’s corporate social responsibility strategy.

About E4D

Launched in 2015, the Employment and Skills for Development in Africa (E4D) programme aims at bringing people into jobs and improve employment situations in six countries: Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. Through cooperation with the private and public sector partners, E4D is implementing development projects in different sectors, mainly targeting disadvantaged groups like women and youth.

E4Ds impact targets are to i) boost the number of people employed in the six partner countries, ii) improve the employment situation of people by raising incomes, securing jobs and improving working conditions, iii) enhance business capacities of local SMEs and iv) promote up scaling of successful development projects and models.