Incubation centres to impart modern livestock, fish farming skills to youths
THE Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries has established incubation centres to teach young people modern livestock and fish farming skills in a new drive to address youth unemployment challenge in the country.
Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Abdallah Ulega spoke of the plans over the weekend, when addressing the 9th Annual Agricultural Policy Conference (AAPC), under the theme ‘Tanzania’s Competitiveness in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Challenges and opportunities for the Agricultural, Livestock and Fisheries sectors’.
He paid special tribute to President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan for endorsing the programme to prepare young people to do commercial breeding , as eight centres have been set up to teach young people how to breed productively.
He said that every year approximately 1,600 young people graduate from various levels of education in veterinary colleges, but only 150 of them find a place in the formal employment system.
“This means, the idea is to enable young people who remain outside the formal employment system to be self-employed through enrichment and sale of their livestock domestically and abroad,” he said.
Expounding further, he said, in the 2023/2024 financial year, they intend to have 30 incubation centres that will have at least 30 young people, thus giving 900 youth an opportunity to receive training and thus help to reduce the challenge of finding employment in the country,” the minister said.
He added that the ministry has already looked for markets for the young people to sell livestock and their related products where in a year the young people will sell their livestock approximately four times, hence enabling them to earn an income that will help them find employment after completing the training.
Mr Ulega also added that the training centres have also been established in the fishing sector for young people to improve their fish farming and fishing skills.
