World Bank endorses K1.8 billion education project for Malawi

The World Bank has approved a project that will equip the country’s young people with skills needed for jobs in high-priority sectors.
Spokesperson for Ministry of Finance, Nations Msowoya, said in an interview the programme, called Malawi Skills Development Project, will see over 7 000 youths acquiring skills in such fields as engineering, natural resources extraction, agriculture, health services, tourism and hospitality, among others.
“The project aims to work with universities on specific programmes catering for high-priority sectors. It is supported by a $46 million [about K1.8 billion] credit from International Development Association [IDA] which is the World Bank Group’s fund for poorest nations,” said Msowoya.
According to a press statement from the World Bank, young people in Malawi need to be able to find jobs that liberate them from poverty, but they cannot do so without the right skills.
“Building skills is important to help people move out of subsistence agriculture into more productive work. This will raise their income as well as contribute to a dynamic and diversified economy at the national level,” reads the statement in part.
Institutions that will receive grants under the project include University of Malawi’s Polytechnic and Chancellor College, Mzuzu University, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar), and the Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (Teveta).
A 2011 Welfare Monitoring Survey shows that around 90 percent of Malawi’s workforce is in informal sector, with over 81 percent currently in subsistence farming while unemployment rate among the youth stands at about 16 percent.