Dhaka [Bangladesh], August 28: The Bangladeshi government and the World Bank (WB) on Sunday signed a 300 million U.S. dollar financing agreement to equip about 900,000 economically disengaged rural youths with skills and alternative education needed for employment and entrepreneurship.
About 60 percent of the project's beneficiaries will be female, according to the World Bank.
"The youths are the future of any country. Creating a well-equipped competitive workforce, where no young person is excluded, is a critical development priority for Bangladesh," said AbdoulayeSeck, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh.
The project of Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN) will help develop a competitive workforce through skill development, continuity of education, and employment opportunities while addressing underlying cultural and social norms that drive exclusion, particularly for women, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities, said Seck.
Sharifa Khan, secretary of Economic Relations Division under the Ministry of Finance said that this project is aligned with the South Asian country's 8th Five-Year Plan till June 2025.
It will support government plans and policies by establishing a comprehensive support mechanism for the economic engagement of the rural youths, including those with disabilities.
Source: Xinhua