Simret Abateneh owns a private business here in Addis Ababa where she produces traditional dresses. Through the trainings provided by the government and her commitment to own her own business she has managed to transform the small enterprise to employ 40 people and export its produces to China, UK and USA markets, she said.
Many unemployed youth have succeeded in establishing their own business through the government’s efforts to alleviate urban poverty and unemployment.
According to Ministry of Urban Development and Construction the government has created jobs for 6.7 million citizens in regular and mega projects during the past three and half years. As compared to the plan to create jobs for some 8.4 million citizens in the second growth and transformation plan, the achievement can be said tremendous.
However, considering the rapid urbanization in the country a lot of hard work remains ahead to prevent the looming urban poverty and unemployment from tackling urbanization. For this end Ministry of Urban Development and Construction and the Federal Urban Job Creation and Food Security Agency are collaborating to address urban poverty and unemployment.
Jantirar Abay, Minister of Urban
Development and Construction, says the Ministry has carried out various activities to create enabling environment and ensure economic benefits for towns and cities’ residents.
According to the Minister, out of the 2053 towns and two city administrations in the country, about 1900 towns and the cities have their own urban planning.
“However, it is difficult to conclude that the plan has practically been implemented on the ground due to the towns’ economic shortcomings which hindered the realization of the expected goal throughout the country,” he said.
Urbanization is rapidly increasing across the nation regardless of its positive or negative consequences. But, lack of job opportunity, finance and the absence of urban planning are major factors, which impede the realization of standardized towns for many years.
To solve the problem, the Ministry has taken actions in various parts of the nation, he added. As to him, urban planning has been playing indispensable role to create comfortable environment for residents, build attractive towns and cities and expand job opportunity. He further stated that urban planning is significant to identify the type of land and the greenery areas.
Abozench Negash, Communication Affairs Team Leader at Federal Urban Job Creation and Food Security Agency on her part said that, the agency has been doing different activities to realize job creation and food security throughout the country, although a lot remains ahead.
According to Abozench, the agency has been working on job creation in five main sectors. Of these, micro manufacturing, construction, urban agriculture, service providing, and trade. In this regard, the agency has achieved job creation to more than 1.1 million citizens, which is almost equal to the planned amount during the past nine months in this fiscal year. In addition, it has been planned to establish more than 100,000 enterprises and it could be achieved more than 74,000, it has indicate that succeed 72 percent of the fiscal year planed within nine months in this year.
In addition to this, the agency also provided 1,438 hectare from the planed 1,880 hectares for shades and enterprises, while the enterprises occupying on urban agriculture. However, it should be needed special attention in regions in the aspect of providing land for shades and modern agriculture.
Furthermore, planning to sensitize 1.26 million youth on customer handling, market situation, saving and hardworking the agency has reached out to more than 1.2 million of them.
Particularly, to ensure food security, the agency is working with Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in order to open bank accounts for citizens with food insecurity.
On the other hand, more than 300,000 citizens 69 percent of them being women, have participated on local development.
The Agency has also established an ”Urban Destitute Technical Committee” which helps to select citizens with special needs. Accordingly about 8,000 destitute people can obtain life skill training and to enter to the job after accomplishing their training, she noted.
Training centers are also established in Oromia, Amhara, Tigray, and the Southern Nations Nationality and People, which used to enhancing job creation culture for universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training graduates.
She further stated that , it has been a limitation on participating private sector in development area and the high rate of unemployment are hinder to realize the intended goal in Ethiopia.
To solve the problem, stakeholders should be integrated with each other’s and needs to give high attention, she underline.
To enhancing home market linkage, three national level and 740 in states level exhibition and bazaar has been carried out during the past nine months in this fiscal year. While more than 41,000 enterprises have been participated in the occasion during the past nine months in this fiscal year, she elaborated.
The Ethiopian Herald April 20, 2019
BY MESERET BEHAILU
