A project dubbed, “Sustainable Training and Education Programme (STEP) IV Horti-Skills” was launched today with an aim to boost youth employability and strengthen business competitiveness of Ethiopia’s horticulture industry.
Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with a financial grant from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the project will be implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and relevant partners from the public and private sectors.
Speaking at the project kick-off session, EHPEA Executive Director Tewodros Zewdie said the project demonstrates that horticulture is a show point where the public, the private sector, and development partners are working together for creating a better industry in the country.
In his welcoming remarks, Velten Hebermehl, Economic Transformation Cluster Coordinator at GIZ Ethiopia, indicated that the joint initiative focuses on practical, market-relevant skills that connect training to real employment opportunities across the horticulture value chain.
With a view of strengthening TVET for a competitive and sustainable horticulture sector in the country, the three-year project (2026-2029) aims to build on the opportunity to connect policy, industry and training institutions around practical skills.
Christine Pirenne, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ethiopia noted that the initiative is built on decades of cooperation between Ethiopia and the Netherlands, especially in the area of human capacity development.
The Ambassador underlined the contribution of the project to enable young graduates to acquire the skills for their employability, horticultural businesses to have qualified workers they need, and the training institutions link their training with the industry and real-world employment.
The project targets, by 2029, to train 1,200 trainees (40% women), engage 25 companies for on-job training, and capacitate 100 staff of partner institutions.
Speaking on the occasion, State Minister of Labor and Skills, Teshale Berecha (PhD), emphasized on the important role the STEP IV Horti Skills initiative plays in addressing the skills gaps and strengthening the linkage between training institutions and the horticulture industry.
As the project places the private sector at the center of skills development, companies and industry associations identify workforce needs, shape training and provide hands-on learning opportunities.
Integrating green skills and gender equality across all areas of work, the project primarily focuses on horticulture value chain and skills, TVET quality and relevance, private sector engagement, sustainability and green skills, and gender equality and inclusion.
The EHPEA Executive Director has commended the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and GIZ for their continued support in a multitude aspects to sustainable development and competitiveness of the horticulture industry in the country.
The initiative will underpin the ongoing efforts of awakening the horticultural-sleeping giant through strategic interventions like capacity building and skills development among others, towards realizing the aspiration to boost the annual hard currency earning from half a billion to several billion dollars, while expanding decent employment from hundreds of thousands to millions of jobs, according to Tewodros.
The Executive Director also hailed the supportive policy and legal frameworks underway in line with the Homegrown Economic Reform as they are vitally creating favorable environment for the county’s horticulture subsector.
He also underlined the instrumental support of the Ministry of Agriculture to create a better environment in policy crafting and addressing critical issues of the industry.
Growing number of graduates are now joining and working within the horticulture industry, due notably to strategic leadership and heavy investment on the agricultural TVET system by the Ministry of Labor and Skills, noted Tewodros.
Dereje Asaminew, Advisor of the State Minister of Agriculture, noted that enhancing the competitiveness of Ethiopia’s horticulture sector requires an integrated and coordinated approach that connects agricultural production, skills development, private-sector investment, technology adoption, market access, and employment creation.
Commending the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Government of Germany, the European Union, and GIZ for their support to Ethiopia’s development efforts, the Advisor reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to working closely with all the partners and stakeholders to ensure that the project contributes meaningfully to national development priorities and delivers tangible and sustainable results for the horticulture sector.
