WASHINGTON, September 8, 2020 — The World Bank approved today a $104 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA) in support of skills development programs for Mozambican youth. The project will invest in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Higher Education (HE) subsystems to improve access and quality of educational curriculums and skills development training in response to the country’s priorities and economic sectors.
“Empowering its youth by developing higher level skills through quality post-secondary education, while working on policies to incentivize the creation of jobs linked to modern productive systems, are among the most important challenges facing the country if it’s to reap the benefits of its demographic dividend,” noted Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough, World Bank Country Director for Mozambique, Madagascar, Comores, Mauritius, and Seychelles. “Better educated youths will contribute to reduce income inequality, facilitate social mobility and help jump-start the much needed fertility transition.”
The project will help increase access to quality education and training at TVET and HE levels in priority areas relevant to future economic development, focusing on science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and climate change. It will also support teacher training programs, including the use of new teaching methods, and will address current shortages of specialized technical skills by strengthening high-quality skills development programs in industrial maintenance, agriculture, ICT, and construction, among other prioritiy sectors, at selected TVET institututions. Furthermore, the project will support continued collaboration with industries and help operationalize the National Training Fund for Professional Education, which will seek to leverage private sector financing for skills development in response to market needs, helping to maximize financing for development. In line with the World Bank Group’s institutional strategy on Fragility Conflict and Violence, the project also seeks to tackle key drivers of fragility and help strengthen the social contract between people and the state by addressing the uneven provision of services and regional disparities.
“Girls education and empowerment are essential to achieve greater social mobility and fertility transition,” added Ana Menezes, the Bank’s Senior Education Specialist and the project’s co-task team leader. “The project will seek to prioritize women’s access to scholarship and internship programs and will support regulations and activities aimed at expanding girls’ participation in science events and other programs likely to contribute to female enrollment in TVET and HE.” Additionally, the project will make provisions to prevent Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the education system, as well as strengthen the capacities of training institutions to respond to GBV incidents.
“As the country faces recurrent extreme weather events likely to increase in the coming years, all relevant TVET and HE training programs financed by the project will be required to include climate change related content,” added Marina Bassi, Senior Economist and the project’s co-task team leader. Additionally, the project will support the development of digital literacy and related skills and entrepreneurship. “We hope that these actions will enable the country to further strengthen its digital infrastructure, digital financial services and consolidate its capacity to adjust to the changing technological economies.”
This operation is in line with the country’s priorities outlined in its five-year plan, as well as the Bank’s partnership framework for FY 2017-21, which acknowledges that a more diversified, productive, and inclusive economy will require greater investment in human capital.
* The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.5 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $18 billion over the last three years, with about 54 percent going to Africa.
