UNIDO and Huajian Group partner to promote vocational and technical training in Africa
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Huajian Group have agreed to work together to promote professional and technical education and training in Africa.
The agreement follows the China-based Group's visit to UNIDO to discuss partnership opportunities within the framework of UNIDO's innovative multi-stakeholder partnership model, the Program for Country Partnership (PCP), and in support of the implementation of the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III).
During his meeting with the delegation, Chairman ZHANG Huarong, UNIDO Director General LI Yong commended the Huajian Group for its active contribution to industrial development in Africa, in particular through women and youth empowerment and job creation.
Han fremhævede samarbeidets viktige potensial for å bidra til den internasjonale udviklingsagenda, bl.a. gennem de igangværende PCPs i Ethiopia, Peru og Senegal, samt i landene som skal vurderes for videreutvikling av programmet.
DG Li also encouraged the Huajian Group to align its business development with international and bilateral initiatives, including the IDDA III, the Belt and Road Initiative, China-Africa cooperation and South-South cooperation.
Chairman ZHANG Huarong expressed the strong willingness of the Huajian Group to establish a partnership between the two entities. He explained Huajian's ambition to create 100,000 jobs in Africa and highlighted the benefits of partnering with UNIDO to ensure this goal was achieved in an inclusive and sustainable manner.
The Huajian Group is one of the world's largest medium-high grade female leather footwear companies. It currently owns two business groups in China and one in Ethiopia.
The Group's latest project, the Ethiopia-Huajian International Light Industry City, is an industrial park being constructed in the vicinity of Addis Ababa. It is expected to generate annual revenues of USD 2 billion and create 50,000 to 60,000 local jobs.
UNIDO and the Huajian Group also agreed to explore other forms of cooperation to promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
