-Launches youth-centered financial organization
ADDIS ABABA – Consolidating concerted efforts is urgently needed to empower innovative and productive youth that expedites country’s prosperity, Ministry of Women and Social Affairs (MoWSA) said.
Officially launching Kefeta Youth Saving and Credit Cooperatives Organization (SACCO), which established to solve financial problems of the youth, MoWSA Minister Ergogie Tesfaye (PhD) said that her ministry is empowering young citizens since they are the backbone of country’s economic development and prosperity.
She stressed that Kefeta should work in concert with the ministry to prevent the youth exposure to drugs and overcome the negative impacts of globalization.
According to her, Kefeta is a promising youth-centered financial organization, which inclusively serves persons with disability.
“Under MoWSA, some 24 million volunteers have been provided with constructive services whilst over 50 million elderly being benefited last year merely. The Ministry is also working with various stakeholders such as the Ministry of Labor and Skills (MoLS) aimed at realizing all-inclusive development that benefits the youth too,” Ergogie stated.
She underlined the need to implement integrated effort to ensure youth empowerment, increase production and productivity, maximize entrepreneur, and so on.
Amref Health Africa Country Director Misrak Mekonen on her part said that the inauguration of the financial organization is crucial to empower youth as it provides finance, bridges skill and knowledge gap, among others.
USAID Mission Director in Ethiopia, Scott Hocklander also stated that the organization will capacitate the youth in economy, education, and other spectrums. The USAID encourages such initiatives that help to empower the youth.
“This is a special event for me that help the youth in saving, crediting, and empowering them at large. However, proper program should be designed to run the business in effective and efficient ways,” Hocklander said.
BY MESERET BEHAILU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2024
