(MENAFN) The Angolan government has introduced an ambitious Youth Employment and Opportunities Project for 2025-2029, backed by a $250 million investment from the World Bank, aiming to generate 500,000 jobs for young people.

The Cabinet Council approved the initiative on Wednesday, with a focus on expanding job prospects for youth while giving priority to women and individuals with disabilities.

Teresa Dias, Angola’s Minister of Public Administration, Labor, and Social Security, explained that the initiative began in 2023 following a World Bank analysis recommending a strategy to stimulate job creation by enhancing short-term productivity and investing in human capital.

Dias highlighted that the program, which received approval from the bank in March, aims to assist vulnerable youth aged 16 to 35. Its focus is on removing obstacles in the job market, providing incentives for businesses to employ recent graduates, fostering green and digital job opportunities, encouraging entrepreneurship, and enhancing the quality of current employment.

The government targets empowering 100,000 vulnerable youth with economic opportunities, assisting 5,000 entrepreneurs showing growth potential, and creating employment access for 400,000 others. Officials expect the project to significantly reduce Angola’s persistently high unemployment rate.

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