Posted on November, 5, 2018 at 10:46 am
SGE. country office of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has disbursed six grants with $527,000 (Sh1,206,882) to small businesses and private organizations in Iringa, Mbeya and Zanzibar.
Terhi Majanen, Director for economic growth at the US embassy in Dar es Salaam said the embassy was implementing an Advancing Youth program. it supports activities that empower young people, aged 15- 35 in rural Tanzania to enhance the employability, business know-how, leadership skills, healthy life skills and participation in civic life.
She said that the grants are expected to create around 700 jobs, well establishing and improving of 500 youth-led enterprises.
The funds will be used to provide youth with entrepreneurship training and opportunities, improve access to finance, enhance finance management skills and workforce readiness.
“This will enable the user to establish or expand business or take advantage of job opportunities in agriculture and related sectors,” she elaborated.
Anthony Mavunde, the deputy minister of state prime Minister's Office for Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled, has urged the regional commissioners to set aside land for use so that they take up opportunities in agricultural activities.
Most young people aren't involved in agriculture due to lack of land and as a result the run away from blue areas where the key economic activities farming.
Mavunde made the appeal yesterday during handover of dummy USAID cheques to small businesses and private organizations from Iringa, Mbeya and Zanzibar.
The future Tanzanians has component, Advancing Youth program which is funded by USAID economic growth office.
Mavunde told the youth not to be afraid of environment in agricultural activities as there are lots of opportunities in the sector.
He thanked USAID for its ‘Feed the Future’ project for supporting and empowering young people in rural Tanzania, we're more than 33,000 youths will be benefiting from the project.
in her opening remarks, acting Iringa Regional Commissioner Asia Abdallah (Kilolo DC) on behalf of RC Ally Hapi haled the ‘Feed the Future’ project for financing youth projects.
Iringa region has abundant arable land and suitable for agriculture investment, in which case is investors need to come and invest in agriculture thus creating opportunities for the youth, she said.
The handover of grants ceremony was held at Kiwere Village farm in Kalenga Division with Mbeya DC Paul Willium Ntinika attending the ceremony, standing for Mbeya RC Albert Chalamila.
Hadija Jabiri from GBRI Business Solutions Ltd, a youth entrepreneur and beneficiary, said the grant will go a long way to support about 70 youths who will be given some inputs like fertilizers so that they can grow crops like French beans, snow peas and sugar snap.
The project has extended 221,300,000/- to the company for helping young people to cultivate marketable crops and be purchased by the company for packing in Iringa municipality, she said.
Agricultural products from small farmers at assured the local and foreign markets including the UK and Ireland, with the value chain likely to create jobs for scores of young people, the youth entrepreneur underlined.
Source: IPP Media