22, 000 women have benefited from the Girls Education and Women Empowerment-Mwanakatwe

A total of 22, 000 women have benefited from the Girls Education and Women Empowerment in livelihood project(GEWEL) that government has been undertaking across the country with support from the World Bank.

Minister of Finance Margret Mwanakatwe says further 19, 000 women are targeted to be empowered in 2019 under the same project.

The Minister said during the budget presentation in Lusaka yesterday, that the project is also supporting about 15, 000 girls from vulnerable households against the target of 16, 000.

And Mrs. Mwanakatwe noted that to enhance monitoring of all social protection and empowerment programmes, government is implementing the electronic single registry of beneficiaries under the food security pack, village banking, public welfare assistance scheme among other projects.

The Minister said the registry will provide key monitoring and management reports required for decision- making and so far 15 districts are on the registry.

She stated that the registry will be extended to a further 20 districts by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Mwanakatwe stated that government will in 2019 focus on providing skills training to out of school youths in vocational and life skills through the youth resource centres.

The Minister further indicated that government targets to train at least 3, 000 youths in 2019 compared to 2, 500 in 2018 adding that four (4) youth resource centres will also be completed in addition to the 21 currently in operation.

And Mrs. Mwanakatwe stated that government will also resettle 200 youths at Mwange and another 200 at Mufumbwe Youth Resettlement Schemes where they will be provided with free land and start up kits to engage in agriculture and agro related activities.

She said to enhance the initiatives, government will provide the youths with the necessary equipment and facilitate the acquisition of working capital to enable them realise their full potential.