Namibia secures 74 mln USD from African Development Bank for education sector

WINDHOEK, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Namibia will receive a boost of 74 million U.S. dollars (1 billion Namibian dollars) from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance the country's education and training sector through a project.

The project is designed to deliver an efficient effective and sustainable Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in Namibia that is aligned with current and future skills needs of the labour market.

The AfDB in a statement on Tuesday said the Project will enable the Government to reduce poverty and youth unemployment, national goals specified in Namibia's Harambee Prosperity Plan; Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5: 2017/18-2021/22); Strategic Plan for the Basic Education Sector (2017/2022), and the TVET Transformation and Expansion Strategy (2016/2032).

Furthermore, the project will help increase access, equity and quality TVET and basic education in the country.

"It will also support the development of basic education and TVET infrastructure in 11 regions of the country and strengthen the TVET and basic education systems through institutional capacity building. On completion, the project will help reduce youth unemployment estimated at 34 percent (2016)," the AfDB added in the statement.

The project will be implemented in a 60-month period and is aligned to the AfDB's Country Strategy Paper (2014-2018) -- Private sector development through skills development and improving the regulatory environment necessary to drive the transformation of the Namibian economy. Enditem