Minister outlines job creation plan
Minister of Labour Ken Kandodo says government has come up with a road map for job creation, which includes setting up job centres in the country’s major cities.
In an interview on Monday after meeting Agricultural Development Marketing Corporation (Admarc) management in Blantyre, the minister said these initiatives are meant to contribute to an effective strategy to create one million jobs in the economy annually.
Kandodo said the ministry has kick-started the process by consulting various stakeholders in the economy.
He said: “Unemployment has become an issue in the country. Many young men and women finish school, but cannot find a job.
“We have been meeting ministries within the civil service and the private sector and later we will be meeting small and medium enterprises to get database of employment to know where we are.”
Kandodo said government plans to launch the strategy in September and after which a monitoring and evaluation framework will be designed to make relevant adjustments.
He said Admarc, which has structures nationwide, will be key in the creation of jobs.
“We have noted Admarc’s fairly comprehensive strategic document which, among other things, will see the company investing in processing facilities and promoting certain crops in the economy and be able to create more jobs,” said Kandodo.
On his part, Admarc acting chief executive officer Felix Jumbe said the State produce trader is keen to help accelerate job creation and intends to take its central role in the country’s economic activities.
He said: “Admarc is a hub for all the agricultural commodities.
“When we provide the market for all smallholder farmers who are 4.2 million, we are providing employment and income and government should count on us.”
Malawi has a youthful population as three in every four people are aged below 35, according to the International Labour Organisation.
A latest report by the World Economic Forum also singled out unemployment and underemployment as the most pressing concern for businesses in the short-term.
Malawi has strived to create jobs and in its 2016 economic blueprint, Harnessing the Population Dividend, the government in partnership with UNFPA promised to accelerate skills development and creation of decent jobs.
