Sawak Lwataza, a waitress at Imperial Plaza Hotel, a 5-star resort in Juba, remembers life as an unemployed young adult struggling to find work, like many of her friends.
"Before I underwent training at the Juba Multi-Service Training Centre, it was difficult to find a job," Lwataza said. "So, I decided to dedicate three months to the training, and believed that with a certificate from the program, I could achieve something."
With a certificate in hospitality and catering operations, Lwataza began job hunting and eventually landed a position as a waitress at Imperial Plaza.
"Before training it was difficult to find a job. My passion was always to work in the hospitality sector, and this training has made that goal possible," Lwataza said about the impact of the SYESI project.
Lwataza is one of many youth attaining high-quality vocational skills aligned with labour market demands in South Sudan thanks to the $1.866 million Skills for Youth Employability and Social Inclusion (SYESI) Project, supported by the African Development Fund's Transition Support Facility. Trainings are implemented in partnership with UNDP, South Sudan's Ministry of Labour Directorate for Vocational Training and the Juba Multi-Service Vocational Training Centre (MTC).
"My passion was always to work in the hospitality sector, and this training has made that goal possible; this is only the beginning," Lwataza said.
The SYESI Project, approved in 2020, has trained trainers at the Juba training centre to offer various training programs and resources to develop employment and entrepreneurship skills. Additionally, beneficiaries - including ex-combatants and the disabled - receive career guidance and counselling services, job placement and industrial internships with private sector companies.
Underscoring the government's strong focus on addressing youth unemployment and fostering economic growth, James Hoth Mai, the Minister for Labour said, "Our work is to ensure that our youth get job opportunities. What is important is for us to create a conducive atmosphere for investors to come to our country and establish factories and companies where our youth can get employed, an environment for our youth to start their business and employ others."
Close to 2,000 youth in Juba have benefited from the SYESI Project, double the initial target. This has helped address South Sudan's high youth unemployment -- as high as 50% in 2018 according to African Development Bank data. About 1,300 participants have graduated with certificates and received start-up kits.
Another beneficiary is Biar Bol Deng, who secured a job at the Imperial Plaza Hotel after completing a three-month chef training program offered by MTC. His skills have made him highly sought after, and he now receives numerous job offers.
"These days, I'm the one turning down offers from hotels," Bol Deng said. "Before the training, they turned me away because I lacked the necessary skills."
According to Martin Lugala Tomba, Director of the Juba Multi-Service Training Centre, training activities have significantly expanded to offer a broad range of skills, such as customer care, IT, hospitality, masonry, electrical and solar installation, construction and boda boda (motor bike taxi) safety, engaging more youth with diverse interests.
"Our training activities have multiplied tremendously during the last five years with support from the African Development Bank," Tomba explained.
The SYESI Project has also enabled youth in South Sudan to start their own companies. Elijah Ngor Anok is an example of this entrepreneurship.
In 2021, while pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Juba, he enrolled at MTC for a complementary electrical installation trade course to gain both theory and practical training on various electrical elements.
"I can proudly say I have both academic knowledge and practical skills," he noted, adding that his MTC certificate and recommendation letter helped him to secure an internship at the Juba Electric Distribution Company. He leveraged these experiences to start his own business.
"Those I worked with prior recommended me to new customers, and now I work on my own. On a good day I can earn 250,000 South Sudanese pounds (about $1,920). This is enough money for me to pay some university fees and support my family," Anok said.
According to Themba Bhebhe, the African Development Bank's former Country Manager for South Sudan, initiatives like SYESI are vital for sustainable economic growth.
He said, "Supporting South Sudan's path to sustainable development comes by investing in its greatest asset--its youth, who make up 72% of the population. This project not only creates jobs, but also lays the groundwork for lasting economic resilience and inclusive growth."
