ADDIS ABABA – Addis Ababa City Administration Small and Micro Enterprises Bureau said that it has been working to create 161, 106 jobs this fiscal year.
Opening a discussion forum organized jointly by the Bureau and Addis Ababa University on the possibilities of job opportunities in the capital, Bureau Head Leulseged Yifru said that the Bureau has been working to create job opportunities to the capital’s youths and women.
There are a large number of sectors that could be sources of livelihood for many citizens and the Bureau have conducted a study in collaboration with Addis Ababa University to identify possible additional opportunities, he said.
The study identified 295, 643.6 square meter open spaces in the city, including near main roads and crossing bridges, public squares, bus and train stations, parks and other open spaces to be used as fields for mobile and other kinds of businesses and generate income for many residents.
As to Leulseged, his Bureau would use the study as an input to create extra jobs to the residents in the identified free spaces and would be implemented when all stakeholders reach agreement up on the recommendation of the study.
The study is helpful to beautify the city, secure peace, create more jobs and subsidize the economy, he noted.
Presenting the research, Abreham Seyoum, a lecturer at the Economics Department of Addis Ababa University said that the study identified numerous job opportunities in the city that could support the livelihood of residents and reduce unemployment, either through creating employment opportunities and promoting entrepreneurships.
According to him, the city can create some 113, 627 job opportunities to its unemployed youth and women if it properly exploits the opportunities in various businesses including outsourcing, sub constructing and urban farming, among others.
Small and micro enterprises could play significant role in the economy by supplying raw materials to the manufacturing industry and retailing finished goods in the free spaces, he said.
The study indicated that cleaning, security, beautification, urban farming and retailing are the major sectors that could create jobs. Some 295, 643.6 square meter open spaces have been identified so far for the project.
Speaking on the feasibility of exploiting job opportunities, Mayor Diriba Kuma noted that the city needs to tap the potential of the growing number of labor force for its development programs.
The city administration would work for the implementation of the study by designing strategic manual that ease the exploitation of free spaces for suitable jobs and it would be practical this budget year, he said.
All stakeholders including the city administration, bureaus of construction and green development under the patron of the city’s Small and Micro Enterprises Bureau need to be cooperate for the implementation of the job creation program, according to the Mayor.
As to him expanding such job opportunities would help the city to create productive middle class society.