EU, UN Invest €6.5 Million In Skills Project

The European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN) have signed a contract to invest €6.5 million in developing skills to boost employment among young Zambians.

Writing on his Facebook page, President Hakainde Hichilema explained, “this programme will better equip our institutions to train the youth to build our economy in specialised sectors like mining, agriculture and energy.”

The announcement comes just a few days after the inaugural EU-Zambia Economic Forum on Wednesday, where President Hichilema delivered the keynote address. During his speech, the President promised ‘win-win outcomes’ from greater EU investment in Zambia and pledged to increase access for Zambian goods and services to the EU market.

The EU is already a major investor in Zambia, having committed some €1.6 billion in recent years, mainly in the energy, construction, engineering, and agro-processing sectors.

By hosting the EU-Zambia Economic Forum, the New Dawn government is hoping to deepen trading relationships between EU and Zambian companies, as well as give businesses access to both European and Zambian lawmakers to help inform a more transparent and enabling policy environment for business.

During the event, President Hichilema was joined on stage by the EU’s Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski for a special panel discussing. During the forum, Ambassador Wojciechowski said the EU was keen to support Zambia’s agriculture sector in order to plug the food gap created by the Russia-Ukraine war. 

The event follows on from last month’s Public-Private Development Forum launch, which sought to increase collaboration between government and the private sector in order to stimulate economic growth and create jobs.