Liberia was affected by a devastating civil war between 1989 and 2003. A quarter of a million people lost their lives. Three quarters of a million people lost their homes and became refugees as they fled from the fighting.

Many of the persons displaced by the war remained refugees for a long time. When the conflict ended some of them voluntarily returned to Liberia. Then, in July 2012, a cessation clause entered into force for remaining refugees from Liberia on the basis that the peace and stability in the country was restored.

This meant that those who had fled Liberia would no longer be regarded as refugees and, unless they met meet the necessary legal requirements of that country for asylum, would have to return, the majority of the remaining refugees did.

Gage was one of 300 returnees who successfully applied for vocational skills training.The programme offered 22 market-oriented specializations. She took the training for  curtain-making, and learnt to use a sewing machine for the first time. She also learnt business-management skills.

“The training helped me improve the quality of my family life very much. I am forever grateful to UNIDO,” she says proudly. Before leaving Liberia she was a high school graduate. “I had no trade or career to count on. So, when I came back, with the help of UNIDO, I had something to sustain my family. I am truly grateful.”

More than 1000 returnees successfully completed the training with hopes of being able to support their families and start a new life after the war. However, the Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia from 2014 to 2015 delayed their plans and only after the crisis passed could many find the so-longed livelihood.

A follow-up study on the role of UNIDO’s training on the economic integration of repatriated refugees in Liberia, published in 2017, shows a clear improvement in the employment and income status of the Liberians who decided to come back.

“With the diminishing of the external shock of the Ebola crisis in Liberia, the findings of this follow-up study better demonstrate the potential of vocational training programmes for the reintegration of repatriates in Liberia,” the report stated.

Ballah is married and has a child, he and his business partner can be found in their workshop every day, repairing different electronic devices.

Gage works from home, she makes  curtains, pillows and bedsheets, and dreams about having her own shop where she can showcase her products and expand her business.

“I believe it was the right choice to come back home. I feel good about coming home. The opportunities I have now would never have been available in a foreign country as a refugee,” says Ballah.

Jordan is one of the main destinations for more than 4.9 million Syrians fleeing the civil war. The Kingdom currently hosts over 600,000 Syrian refugees, more than 10% of its pre-crisis population.

Over the last five years, competition for employment opportunities has been particularly fierce in the agricultural sector. Without work permits Syrian refugees enter the informal job sector earning far less than the national minimum wage.  

"This massive influx has heavily impacted local economies, as well as people’s livelihoods, especially in places where resources are scarce,” says Noriko Takahashi, UNIDO’s Project Manager.

Host communities are facing inflated prices for basic commodities, goods and services.

“It is necessary to work not only with the families that arrive (from Syria) but also with the communities that receive them,” adds Takahashi.

The UNIDO project, funded by the government of Japan and implemented in 10 different communities, tackles food insecurity by leveraging the agricultural potential of the area known as the food basket of Jordan.

Azraq Women’s cooperative

Samya Abass, 41, has witnessed the crisis first hand. She was born and raised in Azraq, a small town in central-eastern Jordan, now home to almost 20,000 Syrian refugees.

Abass is the head of the Azraq Women’s cooperative, a small organization that works closely with UNIDO to improve food security and create employment in the area.

Focusing on medicinal herbs and also on growing vegetables, the cooperative received training on how to improve harvesting methods, building capacity in agricultural processing and assisting farmers to market their products.

“Now we grow sage, peas, beans, onions and garlic. All with medicinal capabilities,” says Abass. “We also produce pomegranate essence; it helps with weakness in the blood and can be mixed with water as a form of protection against colds”.

According to her, “The goal is to take the benefits of the land, and to create natural products with no chemicals, with the highest quality for consumers.”

“The first day the Syrians arrived at the training programme and the next day we were like family”

“This is a pioneering project, it creates job opportunities to help locals and Syrians,” affirms Abass.

She is experienced in implementing agricultural initiatives for the local community. However, for the first time, the needs of both host and refugee communities were considered by integrating Syrians into the trainings alongside Jordanian trainees.

“In the beginning, with previous training before working with UNIDO, I would always smuggle in two or three Syrians. Now that they were included from the beginning, I was really happy,” she recalls.

According to Abbas, working together has strengthened the bond within the community. “The first day the Syrians arrived at the training programme and, the next day, we were like family. Whenever we have breaks, we eat together and drink coffee and tea. Everyone brings something from their own house and they all sit together and eat.”

Women’s empowerment

Since 2016, over 500 people have been trained under this project - 60% of them were women. Salwa Sueliman is one of them.

She is 45 years old, from Syria, and arrived in Jordan as a refugee in 2013.  Sueliman and her husband, Mohammad, have nine children, living in a tent in Badia, eastern Jordan.

Sueliman was a trainee under the UNIDO project, and she has seen a notable increase in female involvement within the community encouraging them to take on active roles during trainings.

“The project helped women to get out of their isolation and participate with men through different lectures and meetings,” she says. “It helped to break the ice between the female and male trainees. Now they are working side by side with the men.”

Sueliman and Abass have faced the crisis from different perspectives, but both share the same feeling:

“It makes you forget about the troubles of life and the misery you faced,” tells Sueliman.

“It (the project) provides something more than financial support. It provides emotional support. I feel we are not forgotten,” affirms Abbas.

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“Everyone has the ability to accomplish great things in life, if they are given the chance. If I, as a woman and a mother, can do it, then everyone can do it. Nothing can stop us from reaching greater heights,” says Daisy Chisulo, a trainee at the Zambia Industrial Training Academy (ZAMITA) in Ndola, the third largest city in Zambia.

In a series of interviews, young female trainees taking part in ZAMITA's Heavy Equipment Repair training programme smash gender stereotypes by showing their motivation and encouraging female participation in training programmes previously seen as men-only domains.

Zambia is one of the youngest countries in Africa, with a youth population (15 to 35 years old) of 4.8 million, representing 36.7% of the total population. Unemployment is one of the most pressing challenges facing Zambian youth. 

In its National Development Plan for 2017-2021, the Zambian government has set a goal of creating one million jobs over the next five years in key sectors. Next to agriculture, the extractive and transport industries are the biggest existing employers. In order to support the government initiatives to bolster youth employment in key sectors, the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is implementing a project to foster systemic change in the development of a skilled workforce.

In 2015, UNIDO, with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and in partnership with the Volvo Group, established ZAMITA as a modern training academy able to provide industry-relevant training programmes. In the first phase, over the course of three years, some 450 students received training in skills relevant for the transport and heavy equipment sector. An estimated 75% will find gainful employment after graduation.

Ruth Mutanga, a final-year student in Heavy Equipment Repair training programme, spoke on behalf of all beneficiaries of the ZAMITA programme. She expressed her gratitude to the donors and administrators of the programme for imparting the knowledge that the students require to become "some of the best engineers the country has ever produced".

“The programme has changed the minds of female students, which is evident from the fact that now 13% of the students are women. This is a true reflection that heavy equipment engineering is no longer a male-dominated field, as was the case in the past,” she concluded.  

Experience has shown that there are critical factors that help increase female participation in technical training. These include the existence of female role models and male relatives and friends playing a significant role by supporting and encouraging girls to choose a technical career path. In this context, the ZAMITA project puts special focus on making men challenge traditional stereotypes and on promoting respect for women in industrial jobs.

Chilufya Mukupa is qraduate of ZAMITA's Heavy Equipment Engineering programme who now works for Kalumbila Minerals, a Zambian subsidiary of Canadian mining company, First Quantum Minerals. Asked what he thought about the statement, "engineering is only for men”, Mukupa replied, "That’s a lie, because in the company that I’m coming from there are female engineers in senior positions. They haven’t got those positions easily. It’s through hard work."

Mukupa continued, "Engineering isn’t for males only. Females can be engineers. And you will find that most of the women doing engineering are doing fine! You can be anything you want to be regardless of your gender in this world. Nowadays, we even have pilots who are female…We have male doctors, we have female doctors… In the past, it used to be a problem, because men said that certain things were just for men. Nowadays, there’s diversity – things are changing. The world is transforming every day.”

In late 2019, UNIDO, the Embassy of Sweden in Zambia, the Volvo Group and the Government of Zambia pledged to continue their support for ZAMITA until 2022 in order to address the skills shortage in the commercial transport sector. At an event to launch the second phase of the ZAMITA project, Marcus Horberg, Vice President of the Volvo Group Southern Africa, said, "It's great to see the teachers and their students here - very inspiring - and extra inspiring to see so many women taking part and wanting to be engineers and mechanics in the future."

At the same event, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Zambia, Coumba Mar Gadio, said, “We are committed to this task. As we all know, education is a fundamental human right and it is indispensable for the achievement of sustainable development.”

Gadio said that while education needs globally were immense, companies could leverage their resources and core competencies to support governments in delivering on their promise of education for all. “The training of engineers, who are able to innovate, design, create and maintain products, systems and equipment for the benefit and well-being of all peoples, is cardinal,” she added.

The ZAMITA trainee, Daisy Chisulo, summed up the attitude of many of the women at the training academy, saying, “I was often told that I was wasting my time by studying heavy equipment repair. I was rather encouraged to study something much simpler, so that I could easily start working on my own...but I took up the challenge, and started studying heavy equipment repair to show people that women have greater capabilities than they think.”

Ruth Mutanga, another trainee, voiced her ambitions, stating, "After completing the course, I would like to have the opportunity to apply all the skills I acquired. I will then use the experience I have gained to help the single mothers out there who didn’t have the chance to attend this kind of courses, by starting up other programmes and opening companies related to engineering activities."

Editor's note: In a Political Declaration adopted on 9 March 2020 by UN Member States commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, leaders noted the importance of, among other actions, "strengthening efforts to realize the right to education for all women and girls, eliminating barriers in this regard, ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education, training and skills development, promoting lifelong learning opportunities, and supporting women’s and girls’ participation in all sectors, especially those in which they are not equally represented, in particular science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and strengthening international cooperation on these issues." (emphasis added)

For more information, see:

ZAMITA: UNIDO's Learning and Knowledge Development Facility (LKDF)

and/or contact:

Kafula Chanda, Team Leader Media Production, Zambian Industrial Training Academy (ZAMITA)

Email

(Main photo - Maher Ben Ismail, agriprenuer and co-owner of Triomphe olive oil, Beja)

Agribusiness makes an important contribution to the Tunisian economy, representing the third largest manufacturing sector and accounting for 9.5% of gross added value. In recent years, the sector has witnessed rapid growth and today comprises more than 1,000 companies. Tunisian agribusiness exports to 138 countries, including the European Union as its chief market but also the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan and the Gulf states.

Record harvests are expected in 2019 for high potential crops like dates (340,000 tonnes) and olives (350,000 tonnes) which will help boost the development of agro-industries.

Beja's olive oil is going global

In recent years Tunisia’s olive production has undergone a consistent and remarkable improvement in terms of quantity and quality. The country now accounts for around 40% of the world's organic olive oil production. Agripreneurs like Maher Ben Ismail, co-owner of Triomphe olive oil are proving the potential in this sector is significant.

Triomphe has already won over 15 prizes for its high quality olive oil and is exporting to Japan and Germany. In 2019, Mashrou3i facilitated new trade agreements worth around US$300,000 for the export of 20,000 bottles to Saudi Arabia and 30,000 bottles to Kuwait. The company is a member of the Beja Olive Oil Cluster, recently established by Mashrou3i, to strengthen the value chain and promote market access of the region's Chetoui olive oil variety.

Mashrou3i (‘my project’ in Arabic) is a joint project by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the HP Foundation. Mashrou3i is designed to foster youth entrepreneurship in Tunisia and support the creation and growth of enterprises.

"The Beja olive oil cluster is very important as it gathers all the stakeholders - farmers, agripreneurs, wholesalers - of the olive oil value chain to enable synergies between actors and to also reinforce the network between producers. Today, we have to be united if we want to achieve commercial success on the market."

A natural substitute for sugar

In February 2019, Ali Sghaier from Kebili launched Organic Food Trade Company (OFTC), a company specialized in the production of date derivatives and a natural alternative to sugar. Watch this video to learn more about his business and how coaching provided by the Mashrou3i project helped strengthen his enterprise.

An energy bar fuelled by Tunisia's natural products

Hugely popular among athletes and as a healthy snack, energy bars have taken the world by storm. In Europe alone, the energy bar market is expected to reach US$689m by 2023. Zeineb Ben Naceur from Medenine is tapping into the lucrative natural health food market with her business, Olidatta.

Initially the young entrepreneur focused on traditional products, such as robb (a date syrup) and dates filled with dried fruits. Passionate about the health benefits offered by dates, Zeineb began to refine her product offering and developed an energy bar made with dates, cocoa powder and almonds – which has quickly become her most successful product.

To develop her managerial skills, Mashrou3i provided Zeineb with entrepreneurship training and product analyses from accredited laboratories. After completing the HP LIFE online courses she took part in a five-day Mashrou3i training workshop. She also received coaching in marketing, sales techniques, environmental management and communication, where she got the opportunity to promote her products on the regional radio. Olidatta currently employs two people and Zeineb plans to recruit an additional 15 employees to manage the marketing, management, administration and purchasing department.

“Olidatta promotes healthy eating and Tunisia’s traditional products in a modern way and at an affordable price. I sell my products through social media and specialized fairs in Sfax and Tunis. In the coming months, I hope to obtain the organic certification which will open the doors to the European market.”

Consultancy services for a new breed of entrepreneur

Growth in Tunisia's agribusiness sector has also opened up new opportunities in support services. In January 2019, Refka Lefi launched a consulting firm that helps agripreneurs tap into funding opportunities. The agricultural engineer got the idea for her business during a coaching programme of the APIA (Agricultural Investment Promotion Agency). While preparing the launch of her business Refka discovered the Mashrou3i project.

“It's my curiosity and willingness to always train and improve my skills that led me down the path of entrepreneurship. After seven years of experience in consulting and business creation, I already had a good knowledge of business management. But thanks to Mashrou3i’s entrepreneurship training I was able to reinforce these skills – especially the elements of a business plan and market analysis.”

Refka was able to draw on her network to gain her first contracts. She has also reached out to potential clients via social media and the regional business centre and APIA. Recently she worked on a preliminary study for the Farmers' Union. This involved visiting farmers of the Central Cooperative Society, carrying out a diagnosis and drafting an action plan for the modernization or restructuring of their farms. Most of her business is currently focused towards supporting agripreneurs to prepare applications and to secure funding, especially grants from the APIA PRIMEA Program, funded by AFD and the European Union. In the future, Refka aims to become a leader in the global advisory system for the benefit of farmers in the region.

Rabeha is Arabic for “winner”. It is the brand name for a programme to provide women in Egypt with the means, knowledge and confidence to realize their unique and valid work-related goals, either as entrepreneurs, early-stage businesswomen or as paid employees.  

The Rabeha programme, run jointly by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and UN Women, aims to significantly boost women’s economic empowerment in Egypt by mid-2024. It is funded by Global Affairs Canada, and is being implemented in partnership with the National Council for Women, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency.

In line with Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030, the joint programme aims to increase the economic participation of at least 6,300 women in Egypt’s private sector across growth-oriented sectors in seven governorates: Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Beheira, Fayoum, Beni Suef and Al-Minya. It will harness these women’s full potential as entrepreneurs and employees in the following target value chains: date palm; medicinal and aromatic plants; handicrafts, and information and communications. It adopts a multi-sectoral approach and combines activities at policy, institutional and individual levels.

UNIDO has conducted three value chain studies within the framework of the programme: for the date palm, medicinal and aromatic plants, and handicrafts sectors. These studies have informed the development of evidence-based interventions that consider the real needs of women business owners and employees, and the challenges they face in each governorate and sector.

The value chain findings show that handicrafts is the most promising sector for women-led businesses and decent work, with a higher number of female-led businesses and workers engaging in value-added activities compared to the date palm and medicinal and aromatic plants sectors, where women are typically limited to working in the basic stages of the value chain.

Ehsan is one of the project beneficiaries. She started learning how to make bags while still at school when she disassembled bags to understand how to make them from scratch. She learned something new every time she made a new bag. This experimental approach helped her advance her product knowledge and skills to reach the next level. Ehsan also relies on online training resources to broaden her expertise. She uses the humble profits to buy new supplies for her small business. Her message to aspiring women entrepreneurs interested in handicrafts is to get started right away, and seek knowledge on how to grow their skills and business.

Another beneficiary is Fakeeha, who is employed at a workshop where people learn how to make souvenir items that are sold at bazaars and stores in the Red Sea resorts of Sharm el Sheikh and Hurgada. She also runs her own home-based business, making leather purses, home furnishing and custom tailoring. She says she can manage her business while taking care of her family, and she urges other women to do the same by creating businesses to support themselves.

UNIDO’s is planning training interventions to target the needs of women entrepreneurs and employees, which will include product development, innovation, connectivity, branding and marketing and promotion strategies. The approach includes digitizing existing business models through e-marketing and sales, with a view to supporting business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, as well as training in technical skills demanded by the key value chains.

As part of the programme, UNIDO and UN Women Egypt provided business development, product branding and legal consultations to women entrepreneurs at the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency’s annual Turathna handicrafts exhibition in October 2021. The consultations involved a rapid diagnosis of business needs and challenges, followed by the provision of tailored business advice and strategies aimed at improving the productivity and profitability of women-led businesses. UNIDO’s participation in Turathna complements its ongoing work in the handicrafts sector and contributes to achieving its target of providing support to 1,100 aspiring and existing entrepreneurs.

UNIDO will launch training for government officials from five central institutions in Cairo in early 2022. This training of trainers aims to enhance the government support services targeting women entrepreneurs and business owners in Egypt so that they are more gender-responsive and tailored to the real needs of women-led businesses and entrepreneurs, and in general are more accessible to these groups of women in the key sectors of UNIDO’s interventions.

UNIDO and UN Women are committed to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Rabeha joint programme in particular contributes to SDG5: Gender Equality; SDG8: Decent Work and Economic Growth; and SDG10: Reduced Inequalities.

See:

Gender-sensitive analysis of the palm date sector in Fayoum and Giza governorates

Gender-sensitive analysis of the handicrafts sector in Al-Minya governorate

Analysis of the medicinal and aromatic plants sector in Beni Suef governorate

Read about UNIDO's Egypt Programme for Country Partnership 

In 2011, Said Rouached took early retirement from his role as manager of Tunisia’s state-owned phosphates producer, Compagnie des Phosphates de Gafsa, to establish a family-run business located in Gafsa in south-west Tunisia.

“We launched Createx just after the Revolution, a critical and very unstable period. However, we managed to negotiate a contract with a major Italian fashion brand, thanks to our seriousness and quality control."

But in 2020, the company was hit hard as a result of the coronavirus epidemic.

“After the loss of our main client, a global fashion brand based in Italy, we were forced to stop all activity for two and a half months," explained Rouached. “During this period, we reflected a lot and, most importantly, took action to help supply the region with masks and equipment to protect against the coronavirus.”

Rouached remembered, "2020 brought us new challenges: to succeed in the transition from sub-contracting to our own production, with the support of the Mashrou3i project.”

Mashrou3i (‘my project’ in Arabic) is a joint project implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the HP Foundation. Alongside entrepreneurship training and business coaching, a vital pillar of the Mashrou3i project involves providing technical assistance to existing enterprises to enhance competitiveness and create jobs in Tunisia's interior regions.

Rouached was contacted by a Mashrou3i expert, who then made several visits to the factory, and during discussions with the entrepreneur, established an action plan for the diversification of Createx products and the extension of its activities.

Createx invested 100,000 Tunisian dollars (approximately €30,000) in the acquisition of new equipment, enabling it to manufacture and screen print aprons and work clothes to meet the needs of schools, health facilities and clinics in the regions of Gafsa and Sidi Bouzid. It also integrated new digital tools and software into its production process. When engaging with customers, the company is now able to present digital models of designs, facilitating negotiations.

“Thanks to the technical assistance provided by Mashrou3i, our staff have been trained in screen printing and embroidery, image processing, selection of colours and fabrics, vector image, photo and scanning,” explained Rouached. “They have also been trained in production management, planning and quality control.”

Restructuring and diversifying its operations, has enabled Createx to retain its 45 skilled workers and even recruit 27 new employees as part of its expansion. Support from Mashrou3i has also helped ensure the business has the tools to navigate the global pandemic.

The above is an edited version of Diversification: CREATEX turns a crisis into an opportunity published in Mashrou3i in Focus: Supporting Existing Enterprises

Further reading:

Tunisia's entrepreneurs swing into action against COVID-19

How Tunisia is embracing digital technology

Every fan of horror movies knows that a person wielding a chainsaw can cause some serious damage. The tool is rated as one of the most dangerous available; one wrong move and its user could lose a limb.

In Southern Africa, forestry students don’t have to worry about that anymore. They are now using a virtual reality training app to learn how to properly operate chainsaws. The mobile 3D teaching platform uses engaging content to teach young people best practices when using the tool – keeping them interested and in one piece.

The idea to design and test this innovative approach to training in forest industries comes from a partnership between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Government of Finland. Together, they pilot several programmes in South Africa which are going to be replicated in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Virtual reality uses realistic images, sounds and other sensory inputs to replicate an environment. In the case of this virtual reality training app, students can use it to learn how to operate a chainsaw before even picking one up. The software also teaches people how to operate and maintain the tool. The training does not replace the practical exercises with the tool, but makes the learning process much safer.

Dave Lockwood, founder of Naledi 3D, the local company which developed the training, said “If one is going to get hurt by a chainsaw, one would rather do it in a digital, 3D-way and not in reality.”

Safety isn’t the only benefit this platform has to offer. In rural areas, reaching a training centre is a difficult task. The project sets up mobile centres in remote areas and gives people the chance to develop their skills. The mobility provided by the app allows more people to be reached.

In countries like South Africa, which has eleven official languages, the technology also makes things a lot easier; switching between languages is a click away. And where conventional curricula fail because of the high level of prior education they require, the virtual training overcomes the literacy barrier with the use of images and audio.

Lucet Ramokgopa, in charge of Business Development at EON Reality, an augmented and virtual reality software company, said, “It is a low-cost solution which offers people the basic knowledge they need to become economically active in a sector”.  

“People get to become players in the economy. They can develop their own livelihoods,” added Virpi Stucki, a UNIDO Industrial Development Officer.

The forestry sector, like most, is constantly affected by emerging technologies and companies have a hard time keeping up with the changes. In order to meet international standards and be more sustainable, they invest in new technologies and machinery. But it can be difficult to develop the necessary competencies, skills and knowledge amongst people. The costs of upgrading their workforce are often prohibitive.

“There is no infrastructure in forestry. There is no water, no electricity. Many people travel kilometers to get to the training venues,” said Charlene Van Aardt, trainer at the South African Forestry Training College.

The new technology fills a gap that many governments and training institutions in Africa are struggling to bridge: developing a skilled labour force. With an ageing workforce and lack of trained youth joining the labour market, the vocational skills shortage is becoming a big problem. Virtual reality training can offer opportunities in a number of fields, giving people access to knowledge which can be used to improve their lives.