The social and economic development of the province of Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, continues to be a major issue for the private sector and the various cooperation partners, who have recently launched various actions aimed at boosting local content in the region.
Among these actions is the “Empresa +Emprego” campaign, an initiative supported by the European Union and the Portuguese government, through the Camões Institute, and which is being carried out by the +Emprego project and the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), in partnership with the National Employment Institute (INEP) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Speaking at the opening of the workshop on “Social and Environmental Responsibility and Corporate Governance”, as part of the “Empresa +Emprego” campaign, Portugal’s ambassador to Mozambique, António Costa Moura, said that job creation is a priority for the valorisation of human capital and the creation of sustainable opportunities that guarantee a prosperous future for young people living in the province, which was once affected by terrorism.
The diplomat explained that promoting citizenship, knowledge sharing and social cohesion can generate valuable gains for the local economy and influence the success of teaching and learning for generations to come.
“Terrorism cannot only be tackled from a security and military point of view. It’s important to implement actions that have a social and economic impact on people’s lives. We need to create initiatives [like the +Employment programme] that respond to the aspirations of young people,” he clarified.
According to António Moura, his country has been encouraging the development of decent jobs so that everyone is qualified to meet the demands of the market, especially the big companies that explore for oil and gas in Portugal, adding that, “in view of the excellent results achieved, the Portuguese government has taken on the challenge of jointly launching the ‘Empresa +Emprego’ campaign to encourage good practices”.
For his part, the president of the CTA, Agostinho Vuma, said that Mozambique needs to step up employment opportunities for young people in order to respond to demographic pressure, characterised by 500,000 candidates entering the labour market every year.
“The country is experiencing demographic pressure as a result of both the population growth rate, which is 2.5 per cent, and the fact that around 500,000 young people are looking for work in the formal labour market. We reiterate our commitment to dedicated support for Cabo Delgado’s small and medium-sized enterprises, through technical assistance and actions to improve the business environment,” he emphasised.
However, in order to better expand the initiatives promoted and achieve the planned goals, the general coordinator of +Emprego, Cristina Paulo, emphasised the importance of companies being guided by environmental sustainability and inclusion during the contracting process and the development of their activities.
“It’s the private sector’s responsibility to create decent work. Of course the context is challenging and we have had some difficulties in mobilising companies in Cabo Delgado, but we have taken on this task responsibly. We need companies that have good conditions, that employ women and support young people, and that are in line with environmental issues,” he concluded.
The “Empresa +Emprego” campaign aims to value and promote the visibility of Cabo Delgado’s Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), as well as boosting professional qualifications and the employability of young people in the province and the community in which they operate, taking a stance of corporate social responsibility and promoting decent work, leveraging sustainable development and social inclusion, based on local partnerships.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been affected by a conflict since 2017 that has terrorised the population. Groups of armed rebels have pillaged and massacred villages and towns all over the province and a variety of attacks have been claimed by the ‘arm’ of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in that region. The conflict has already caused more than 4,000 deaths (data from The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) and at least one million displaced people, according to an assessment made by the Mozambican authorities.
In September this year, CTA and the +EMPREGO project, supported by the European Union and co-funded and managed by Camões IP, launched the “Empresa +Emprego” campaign in partnership with INEP and the ILO, which aims to promote the visibility of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with a presence in Cabo Delgado that value the qualifications and employability of young people in the province, taking a stance of corporate social responsibility in this area.
The Campaign also aims to promote decent work, boosting sustainable development and social inclusion, based on local partnerships, reducing inequalities and eradicating poverty.
