The event was graced by guest of honour Hon Mudrick Soraga; Minister of State, President’s Office; Labour, Economic Affairs and Investment who thanked the ILO and the government of Norway for supporting the programme which is in its second phase.
Mr, Soraga congratulated the 90 graduates and urged them to utilise the skills and qualifications they have gained through the six-month programme to improve their lives and be a positive example for other young people in their communities.
The graduates also received special equipment and tool kits to begin their new lives as professionals in their fields of; air conditioning and refrigeration, carpentry as well as tailoring.
The programme is designed to give the apprentices the skills to become formally employed or self-employed in order to help curb Zanzibar’s rising youth unemployment rate, which is currently 33 per cent according to the Integrated Labour Force Survey 2020/21.
Mr Soraga assured the young graduates that the government of Zanzibar is committed to helping the youth to access better self/employment opportunities:
“We have heard your suggestions and requests for more financial support. Young people can now apply for various government financial support and loans to start their own businesses. I urge you to make good use of this service.”
NEET programme graduate and youth representative, Mlinde Machano, reflected on the many challenges facing Zanzibar’s youth and the opportunities for a better future that he and his peers now have:
“As we have demonstrated during the plays and stories we have shared today, many of us young people fall into drug abuse and end up living in poverty because we have no education of skills. This programme has given many of us the chance to improve our lives…we would like to sincerely thank our government, the ILO and the government of Norway for the NEET programme.”
ILO Programme and Operations Officer, Mr Adame Traore on behalf of ILO Country Director, Mr, Wellington Chibebe thanked the government of Zanzibar for the successful conclusion of the programme’s second phase and shared ILO’s commitment to ensure the sustainability of the programmes’ impact.
“The ILO strongly encourages the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, through the President’s Office, Labour, Economic Affairs and Investment, Social Partners and other stakeholders to continue implementing skills development programmes beyond the end of the ILO project. ILO technical support remains available if there is a wish to replicate and/or expand the NEET programme.”
Hamza’s success story
Hamza Kassim, sits at the back of a bustling workroom at the KVZ Volunteers Brigade Zanzibar, he is cutting up black leather pieces and sewing them with the dexterity and speed of an expert leather worker.
Hamza is a 20-year-old short-term apprentice who began his training as a tailor less than six months ago. Hamza is also physically impaired and was born with a severe congenital hand deformity which made his early childhood particularly difficult.
Learning however was never a problem for Hamza: “I taught myself to do things that others could do very easily by practicing and practicing until I got it right. I was not the best but I liked school…I was good at History and Kiswahili, and was lucky to have good classmates and teachers when I was younger. Going back home was more difficult as the children on the streets would point at me and make cruel remarks about my hands.”
Hamza is the seventh of ten children; therefore, his parents had to prioritise the education of his younger siblings when he failed his secondary school final exams. Hamza recalls this difficult time saying; “I was so depressed! I stayed up most nights just thinking about the money I needed to start a business. My father is a farmer and my mother sells snacks at a school… we do not have money to start a business.”
It was during this time that Hamza received a phone call from a youth representative at the Prime Minister’s Office for Labour, Employment, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (PMO-LYED), who told him about a short-term apprenticeship programme run by the ministry with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Hamza was ecstatic about the opportunity. “I am not the only one with a disability in my family, there are three of us…I didn’t know that my older brother had registered us at the ministry as physically disabled and that is how the youth representative was able to call me directly and urge me to apply.”
Hamza was one of 90 young people accepted into the second phase of the programme in April 2022.
The programme aims to train youth between 15 and 25 years who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). The apprentices spend four months in theoretical and practical training at the JKU Vocational Training Centre in Zanzibar and two months in some of Zanzibar’s leading public and private industries. Hamza is spending his industry attachment at the KVZ – Volunteers Brigade Zanzibar, where he is learning leather production as part of his tailoring training.
“I had never used a sewing machine before and I had to work harder than everyone else to learn. I now can sew a variety of women’s and men’s clothing and make leather items like shoes and bags,” Hamza proudly reports.
After graduating, Hamza received a nationally recognised certificate of competency as a tailor and a sewing machine kit to help him begin his work. He also stands a chance to benefit from government loans aimed to help young entrepreneurs.
Hamza is eager to begin his life as a professional tailor: “I am looking forward to starting my own business… I want to be able to earn an income and help support my parents. It is difficult for young people like myself, especially those with disabilities to earn a steady income, but registering in any youth or disability groups and support schemes is a great help. I don’t think I would have this opportunity if my brother had not registered me at the ministry.”
The short-term apprenticeship programme is implemented by the government of Zanzibar with technical support from the ILO Skills programme, which is funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
Apprenticeship programmes
Apprenticeships are probably the oldest public-private partnership in history and have been around for centuries. Formal apprenticeship is a form of vocational education/training which combines on the job training and institution based learning for specifically defined competencies and work processes.
Apprenticeships form part of the solution to help get young people into the labour market by equipping them with technical and core skills needed to take on new jobs.
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Tanzania’s opposition party ACT Wazalendo honours veteran politician under new policy
Unguja. Opposition party ACT Wazalendo today officially bids farewell to its former Chairman, Juma Duni Haji, also known as Babu Duni, as part of a new policy designed to honor retired senior leaders at a ceremony held at Kiembesamaki, Zanzibar.
The initiative highlights the party’s commitment to recognizing and supporting individuals who have served with dedication and integrity.
Babu Duni, who stepped down earlier this year, was succeeded by Othman Masoud, now the First Vice President of Zanzibar.
The policy aims to provide ongoing respect and support to retired leaders, ensuring their continued recognition and contribution to the party’s development.
“Recognizing their significant contributions to the development and prosperity of the party, this policy ensures that retired leaders continue to be acknowledged and respected by both the party and the community,” the policy states.
To benefit from this policy, leaders must not have left or been expelled from the party. They must have served the party with honor and dedication. The national leadership committee will determine whether a leader has fulfilled these criteria.
The policy seeks to honor retired leaders, protect their dignity, acknowledge their contributions, leverage their ideas for the party’s growth, and support them to the best of the party’s ability.
In honoring these leaders, the party will provide a vehicle, the type of which will be determined by the national leadership committee. Additionally, they will receive a monthly allowance, with the amount also set by this committee.
Other benefits include health insurance. If a leader does not own a home, the party will cover their rent at a rate decided by the committee.
The leadership committee may also grant special recognition based on the leader’s contributions. Retired leaders will participate in decision-making meetings according to procedures outlined in the party’s constitution.
Depending on the party’s resources at the time, the policy may also apply to retired deputy chairpersons for both the mainland and Zanzibar, the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General for both mainland and Zanzibar, and the party’s Attorney General.
Additionally, leaders, executives, or members with exceptional contributions to the party’s protection, advocacy, and defense may also benefit, as determined by the leadership committee.
Currently, those who are eligible for benefits under this policy include Juma Duni Haji (retired party Chairman) and Zitto Kabwe (retired party leader).Continue Reading
Tanzania Confirms Second Marburg Outbreak After WHO Chief Visit
Dar es Salaam — Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has declared an outbreak of Marburg virus, confirming a single case in the northwestern region of Kagera after a meeting with WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The confirmation follows days of speculation about a possible outbreak in the region, after the WHO reported a number of deaths suspected to be linked to the highly infectious disease.
While Tanzania’s Ministry of Health declared last week that all suspected cases had tested negative for Marburg, the WHO called for additional testing at international reference laboratories.
“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”Amelia Clemence, public health researcher
Subsequent laboratory tests conducted at Kagera’s Kabaile Mobile Laboratory and confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one positive case, while 25 other suspected cases tested negative, the president told a press conference in Dodoma, in the east of the country today (Monday).
“The epicentre has now shifted to Biharamulo district of Kagera,” she told the press conference, distinguishing this outbreak from the previous one centred in Bukoba district.
Tedros said the WHO would release US$3 million from its emergencies contingency fund to support efforts to contain the outbreak.
Health authorities stepped up surveillance and deployed emergency response teams after the WHO raised the alarm about nine suspected cases in the region, including eight deaths.
The suspected cases displayed symptoms consistent with Marburg infection, including headache, high fever, diarrhoea, and haemorrhagic complications, according to the WHO’s alert to member countries on 14 January. The organisation noted a case fatality rate of 89 per cent among the suspected cases.
“We appreciate the swift attention accorded by the WHO,” Hassan said.
She said her administration immediately investigated the WHO’s alert.
“The government took several measures, including the investigation of suspected individuals and the deployment of emergency response teams,” she added.
Cross-border transmission
The emergence of this case in a region that experienced Tanzania’s first-ever Marburg outbreak in March 2023 has raised concerns about cross-border transmission, particularly following Rwanda’s recent outbreak that infected 66 people and killed 15 before being declared over in December 2024.
The situation is particularly critical given Kagera’s position as a transport hub connecting four East African nations.
Amelia Clemence, a public health researcher working in the region, says constant vigilance is required.
“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”
The Kagera region’s ecosystem, home to fruit bats that serve as natural reservoirs for the Marburg virus, adds another layer of complexity to disease surveillance efforts.
The virus, closely related to Ebola, spreads through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe haemorrhagic fever.
Transparency urged
Elizabeth Sanga, shadow minister of health for Tanzania’s ACT Wazalendo opposition party, says greater transparency would help guide public health measures.
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“This could have helped to guide those who are traveling to the affected region to be more vigilant and prevent the risk of further spread,” she said.
WHO regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti says early notification of investigation outcomes is important.
“We stand ready to support the government in its efforts to investigate and ensure that measures are in place for an effective and rapid response,” she said, noting that existing national capacities built from previous health emergencies could be quickly mobilised.
The situation coincides with leadership changes in Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, with both the chief medical officer and permanent secretary being replaced.
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
Source: allafrica.com
Zanzibar, Tanzania: Inflation hits five-year high
With Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine being blamed after inflation in Tanzania and Zanzibar rose to 4.5 this year and is climbing – the highest rate since November 2017Continue Reading
