At least 30,000 Tanzanian youth to benefit from World Bank program

At least 30,000 Tanzanian youth will benefit from a new World Bank supported skills improvement program, the bank said in a statement on Friday.

The Education and Skills for Productive Jobs Program for Results was approved on Thursday by the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors, said the statement.

The program was being financed by 120 million US dollars under the World Bank's International Development Association and aligns with Tanzania's new Five Year Development Plan (2016-2021) which centers on industrialization, and emphasizes addressing skills gaps as a critical lever to achieving its goals.

The statement said the program will promote the expansion and the quality of skills development opportunities in key economic sectors in the east African country.

The program was in line with Tanzania's new National Skills Development Strategy which seeks to increase the supply of skills for industries with high potential for growth and job creation in the country.

The statement said 30,000 targeted beneficiaries of the program will include trainees enrolled in university, technical, vocational and alternative training programs in six key economic sectors.

It mentioned the six economic sectors as tourism and hospitality; agriculture, agribusiness and agro-processing; transport and logistics; construction; information and communications technology and energy.

"Employer participation and labor market relevance of skills development form key elements of the program," said the statement.

"The improvement of human capital by helping address the skills gap is critical for the attainment of the country's goal to become an industrialized economy, create income opportunities and reduce poverty," said Bella Bird, World Bank Country Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Burundi and Somalia.

It is estimated that one million young people leave the education system and enter the Tanzanian labor market annually.

With the country continuing on its current stable economic growth trajectory, it is expected that the bulk of employment opportunities for these youth will be generated by the private sector. Endit