By Zamzam Osman - Reporter
ADDIS ABABA (Dawan Africa) – LG, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), UNDP Somalia and Elman Peace Centre launched a partnership in Addis Ababa on Tuesday to support skills development and peacebuilding in Somalia.
The initiative will create livelihood opportunities for Somali youth through technical and vocational education, and strengthen resilience and economic development in communities affected by conflict.
The partnership builds on the LG-KOICA Hope TVET College in Addis Ababa and will establish a standards-aligned UNDP-KOICA technical training and service facility at Elman Peace Centre in Mogadishu.
An initial group of Elman Peace trainers will undergo benchmarking, training of trainers and certification at the LG-KOICA Hope TVET College. They will then train Somali youth in electrical equipment servicing, ICT with a focus on IT hardware and networking, entrepreneurship and life skills.
Graduates will be connected to jobs through fairs, apprenticeships, enterprise support and LG’s distribution and service networks in Somalia.
UNDP Somalia Resident Representative Lionel Laurens said the partnership integrates skills development, private sector engagement and peacebuilding.
“This initiative is a strategic investment in Somalia’s future. Somalia’s greatest asset is its youth — their talent, resilience and creativity,” Laurens said.
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LG Ethiopia Branch Leader Seunghwan Yang said the company will transfer experience from the LG-KOICA Hope TVET College, which has operated in Ethiopia for 13 years, to Somalia.
“Through this initiative, we will support vulnerable youth in Africa to achieve self-reliance and become skilled professionals who contribute to national development,” Yang said.
Elman Peace Centre will lead implementation on the ground by expanding technical training and connecting graduates directly with employers.
“Somalia has always been a nation of builders, entrepreneurs and innovators, yet too many young people remain disconnected from the modern economy,” said Ilwad Elman, Chief Operating Officer of Elman Peace Centre. “This partnership will help build the local systems, standards and expertise needed for Somali youth to participate in the jobs and service economies of the future.”
KOICA Country Director Wankyu Park called it a win-win model involving a UN agency, the private sector and a local civil society organization.
The partnership aims to generate employment, develop skills and address root causes of fragility and exclusion by creating pathways to dignified livelihoods for Somali youth.