Minister of Labour Ken Kandodo says the private sector has a huge potential in creating employment opportunities and providing decent working conditions to employees.
Kandodo was speaking on Thursday at Rab Processors Limited in Blantyre when he engaged management of the company.
The Minister said private companies can do a lot in reducing unemployment in the country by coming up with innovative investment ideas that widens employment opportunities.
“I should applaud Rab Processors for their resilience despite facing a number of challenges with a slowdown of the economy due to COVID-19 pandemic. This company has capacity to offer more permanent jobs and internship to students in universities and technical colleges.
“We are on a drive to create one million jobs and we are leaving no one behind. We can achieve this goal through concerted efforts and removing impediments in the process,” said Kandodo.
Rab’s CEO Ahmed Sunka said they have been in business for 37 years serving the country. Initially the firm started with 15 employees and currently it has over 2,500 across its establishments.
He bemoaned that local jobs were being taken away due to smuggling of goods into the country.
“I know that the Tonse Administration has promised one million jobs and surely the private sector is key in attaining the goal,” he said
Sunka said he raised a number of issues for consideration with the Ministry including high tax regimes adding that: ” This is creating an opportunity for smuggled goods to find a lucrative market and on the other hand our local industries are being chocked by influx of such goods.”
Wilson Makulumiza Nkhoma, Executive Director for Technical Entrepreneurial, Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA) said his organisation is keen to see more private firms in addition to Government institutions recruit more graduates under TEVET programmes.
“We model the curriculum so it matches with industry needs. It is TEVETA’s objective that students from technical institutions are equipped with right skills for the industry hence our commitment to ensure quality of the training is not compromised,” said Nkhoma.
The Tonse Administration seeks to create extra 1 million jobs in the country.
