The OYE project aims at improving the livelihoods of young women and men by honing their skills and matching them with existing rural job markets and opportunities for self-employment. Switzerland, through its international cooperation agency (SDC), partnered with SNV Netherlands Development Organisation to scale up OYE in the Central Corridor Regions of Tanzania. The project is co-funded by the MasterCard Foundation. 

Visit to the Deputy Minister’s Office

During her trip, Ambassador Tinguely Mattli accompanied by other Embassy staff and representatives from SNV visited the office of the Deputy Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Policy, Parliament Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled, Honourable Antony Mavunde. At the meeting, the Ambassador and Minister discussed Switzerland’s support to youth initiatives in Tanzania. Ambassador Tinguely Mattli said Switzerland is committed to engage in skills development in the country. She also revealed that the SDC is expecting to invest USD 24 million (TZS 54 billion) to support the National Five Year Development Plan (FYDP II). Hon. Mavunde expressed his gratitude for Switzerland’s timely support. He mentioned that the Government of Tanzania has also allocated TZS 15 billion to support youth in vocational training. 

Field visit to Kibaigwa Ward, Kongwa District

In Kibaigwa, the Ambassador and team met with three OYE-supported youth groups. Two of the groups produce Improved Cooking Stoves (ICS) and the other group consists of young people employed by Mobisol as solar technicians and agents. One of the groups, UKIWAMAKI, is an ICS enterprise with six members, 3 male and three female. The youth from UKIWAMAKI joined the OYE project earlier this year and have so far received both basic life skills and technical training. The other ICS enterprise with 11 members, JIMA, is from Mpwapwa district in Dodoma. Eight of its members are female and 3 are male. The young men and women from JIMA joined OYE in May 2016 and have all completed the OYE programme. 

The third group with twenty young men and women is undergoing apprenticeship with Mobisol as technicians and sales agents. These OYE-supported youth joined the Kibaigwa Mobisol branch for on-job training which prepares them to enter employment. 

In 2016, the SDC committed to contribute US$ 4.7 million for two years to expand the OYE project to Dodoma, Singida, Tabora, Shinyanga and Manyara Regions, reaching an additional 6,500 economically disadvantaged and out-of-school youth.