(Nouakchott, Mauritania, February 6th) – Today, the Mauritanian Minister of Employment, Vocational Training, Information and Communication Technologies Mr. Seyedna Ali Ould Mohamed Khouna and the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Mauritania, Mr. Irvin Hicks co-presided over the official launching ceremony of the “Empowering Mauritanian Youth through Education, Leadership and Self-Improvement” (EMELI) project. Ms. Lisa Franchett, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director for Senegal, Burkina-Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania, was also in attendance at the ceremony.
EMELI is an integrated development project, funded by the USAID and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Its goal is to provide vulnerable Mauritanian youth, including those from the Mahadras, with personal and professional capacity-building training to help them find employment and ensure their professional development.
The Mauritanian Minister of Employment, Vocational Training, Information and Communication Technologies, in his remarks at the opening ceremony stated, “Technical vocational training is an effective tool to combat unemployment and poverty. To date, our department has been able to reorganize the training tracks, improve the performance of its existing institutions and increase its capacity.”
“EMELI responds to one of the priorities and concerns shared by our two countries, especially youth empowerment. It will help Mahadras graduates integrate successfully into the working life”, underscored Mr. Hicks.
Ms. Franchett emphasized, “EMELI will make the Mahadras Vocational Training Center a center of excellence and reference in which quality training will be provided for young people, especially those coming out of the Mahadras.”
The U.S. Agency for International Development is leading the U.S. Government’s efforts to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies. For more information about USAID in Mauritania and its programs, please visit www.usaid.gov/mauritania
