Followed by the May 2010 decision to extend the duration of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has recently announced a two-year, $3.5 million project which will allow for young people in Côte d’Ivoire to receive training in manufacturing, construction and service jobs. The project agreement was signed on August 2, 2010 by the Deputy to the Director-General of UNIDO, Yoshiteru Uramoto, and the Ambassador of Japan to Côte d’Ivoire, Yoshifumi Okamura, and will be funded by the Japanese Government and implemented in the Bouaké region of Côte d’Ivoire.
The project’s aim is to “to assist the Government of Côte d’Ivoire in its efforts towards a lasting peace, poverty eradication and sustainable social and economic development,” said Mr. Uramoto. Through the project “young people, including demobilized combatants, will benefit from a series of training courses. They will get new skills in the productive sectors, and develop entrepreneurial abilities to set up their own micro-enterprises and income-generating activities.”
Following a 2002 civil war that split Côte d’Ivoire into a rebel-held north and a Government-controlled south, the United Nations has focused on securing peace and reunifying the country. The job-training project is essential in assuring that young people will become productive citizens and will obtain the skills needed to restore the economy in Côte d’Ivoire.
-Christina