Côte d'Ivoire, which became split by civil war in 2002, will soon be seeing some economic relief as 3,000 young people, mostly ex-fighters and women, will receive training in construction, manufacturing and service sectors through a new United Nations project. The two-year, $3.5 million project by the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) will be funded by the Japanese Government and be carried out in the Bouaké region. UNIDO plans to build a center that will offer training in welding, vehicle mechanics, woodwork, plumbing, building construction, tailoring, healthcare and food nutrition. The project will build on prior programs aimed at the rebuilding of existing training centers and education systems, in particular the Manu River Union program on youth employment which was also financed by Japan. "Young people will benefit from a series of training courses, said Yoshiteru Uramoto, Deputy to the Director-General of UNIDO, "They will get new skills in the productive sectors and develop entrepreneurial abilities to set up their own micro-enterprises and income-generating activities." Ambassador of Japan to Côte d'Ivoire, Yoshifumi Okamura, went on to say, " What is needed for the future of those countries is for the young people to acquire qualified skills, aside from humanitarian or basic human needs, so as to involve them in the economic recovery and reconstruction."
- Clara Hill
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