Minister of Labour, Agness Nyalonje has said government has an agenda to transform the labour sector through efficient and effective provision of technical, entrepreneurial and vocational skills development to the youth in the country.
She made the remarks in Lilongwe on Wednesday, when she presided over the official handover ceremony of vehicles to four National Technical Colleges, purchased under the Skills for A Vibrant Economy (SAVE) Project funded by World Bank.
“It is the wish of government that the youth of this country are equipped with skills that will enable them to be innovative and self-reliant, to be the backbone of wealth-creation through entrepreneurship.
“The government appreciates the complementary role of the World Bank, whose financing of the SAVE Project has enabled a significant increase in access to technical, vocational and entrepreneurial skills development programmes by the largely out-of-school and vulnerable youths, including those in remote, hard-to-reach areas,” the Minister said.
Nyalonje said the provision of the four vehicles that the Ministry has handed over to Nasawa, Namitete, Soche and Livingstonia Colleges was aimed at improving the operations of the recipient colleges and, in turn, enable the colleges expand access to their TEVET programmes.
She appealed to the leadership of the recipient National Technical Colleges to take good care of the vehicles so that they could serve the nation for a long period.
The Project Manager for Skills for A Vibrant Economy (SAVE) Project Implementation Unit, Grenard Mkwende said the Ministries of Labour and Education are complementing the project aimed at reaching out to higher education and TEVET institutions students to gain skills necessary in the economy targeting girls in disadvantaged areas.
He said and the vehicles were handed to technical colleges which indicated that they need the vehicles.
Mkwende said the vehicles worth K 469 million consisting of two twin cabs and 32-seater buses were purchased in the first phase of the project and more vehicles would be purchased and handed over to higher education institutions under the Ministry of Education.
Principal for Nasawa Technical College, Yusuf Josiah said the vehicles would help the institution as it had only one utility vehicle which was not enough.
“We had challenges at Nasawa College because we had no bus, receiving this 32-seater bus will help us transport students during attachments places and this also will motivate students and members of staff,” he added.
