As part of the implementation of Covid-19 prevention measures, the Cabo Delgado Provincial Executive Council (CEPCD), Beluluane Industrial Park, USAID, Repensar and Pemba Energy City are running a health campaign in the cities Pemba and Palma to limit transmission and spread of the disease.

The initiative Pamoja Salama includes a number of measures such as the placement of hand washing equipment namely Tippy Taps into communities. They will furthermore provide cleaning products (soap and alcohol) and train community educators to disseminate prevention messages to these communities. All educators are registered as project interns with Beluluane Industrial Park. This project allows them to gain professional experience and prepares them for the job market.

Commenting on the initiative, the project managers said: “The way and speed with which the virus spreads shows that no one can beat Covid-19 alone. We all need to combat the disease together. The virus can affect anyone because to the virus we are all the same.”

The project managers emphasised that there are people who are more at risk of developing the most serious forms of the disease, namely the elderly or people who suffer from other health problems, such as diabetes, malnutrition, etc. There are groups that are less able to protect themselves, such as the disabled, refugees, displaced persons, street workers and those living in extreme poverty.

“We are all responsible for protecting the most vulnerable around us. We need to take care of each other and can do so by wearing masks, washing our hands and keeping a safe distance whenever possible,” they said.

Cabo Delgado Provincial Executive Council (CEPCD), has the mission of ensuring the promotion of good health and education of the population, guiding the implementation of projects to prevent and combat the disease in the province.

USAID / OTI, as part of its Tuko Pamoja Program, is the co-financer of this project. The Tuko Pamoja Program aims at strengthening the resilience of local communities in Cabo Delgado affected by extreme violence.

Beluluane Industrial Park (BIP) is a Public-Private Partnership between the Mozambican State, represented by the Agency for the Promotion of Investment and Exports, (APIEX) and Swiss-Mozambican Investors. This industrial park is the largest in Mozambique; it has created more than 6000 jobs and is expanding to Cabo Delgado province.

Environmental Education Cooperative Repensar is a cooperative dedicated to raising awareness and disseminating good practices for preserving the environment, with experience of an awareness campaign for the prevention of Covid-19 in Maputo, Matola and Marracuene from March to July 2020.

Pemba Energy City is a logistics-based company that supports this project to jointly stop Covid-19 in the province of Cabo Delgado.

Since its launch in 2018, more than 65% of the young Mozambicans who participated in the BIP-JOBA Internship Programme have successfully bridged the gap from learning to earning. This is a notable achievement since many graduates find it difficult to find permanent employment in Mozambique.

More than 500 young people have already entered the programme of which 40% are women. The programme is funded by the UKAid and facilitated by Beluluane Industrial Park. Their goal is to help local companies find talent and reduce employment barriers. Interns have been placed in more than 60 companies including Affrox, Crowe Mozambique, Sociedade Moçambicana de Medicamentos (SMM), Coca Cola, Darling (Godrej), TEMOC, Capital Star Steel, Engprojects, Tyre Corporation, BCX and Mecwide.

The programme is also supported by the Industrial Association of Mozambique (AIMO) and the Commercial & Industrial Association of Matola (ACIM).

BIP-JOBA participants hard at work during their practical internship.
The programme hosted interns in both the industrial and other sectors.

On Friday 4 September another group of 85 interns received their certificates of completion during a celebratory event which was chaired by the Governor of Maputo Province, Júlio Parruque. He praised the UKAid and Beluluane JOBA for their commitment to high quality training and said that the project played a pivotal role in the transfer of practical knowledge and skills.

One of the successful participants, Cláudia Silvestre Novela, delivered a heartfelt testimony on how the project has given her professional visibility. “I am already hired at Matola Cargo Terminal and that has changed my life,” she said. “I never expected this to happen, especially in 2020.”

Commenting on the remarkable successes, Beluluane Chairman Adrian Frey said that the internship programme has impacted many lives: “Paid internships are the best job creation solutions I have witnessed. It allows our companies to find talents and there are great talents among our young people! Young people can put their skills to the test and secure a permanent job. It also helps to build up their CV. We are very thankful to the British people who have joined forces with us and gave substantial financial support to make Beluluane Joba a success.”

Deputy High Commissioner for the UK in Mozambique, Alexandra Shephard said that the education and training of young Mozambicans is a priority and that young people are the future. “We want to support opportunities for youth, for example training in the industrial sector, agriculture and many other sectors all over the country,” she said. “The BIP-JOBA programme will come to an end but we will continue to support many programmes that increase opportunities for young people in Mozambique.”

The last cohort of current participants will graduate in December. Beluluane Industrial Park is looking for new partnerships to support the continuation of this internship programme.

For more information, contact Ashleigh Tsuro at joba@beluluane.co.mz.