Empowering youth through mobility: Refrigerated trucks for horticulture hub

A refrigerated truck and a seven-ton truck was handed over to the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training to strengthen operations at the Mutoko Fruit and Vegetable Hub. The Hub is part of AfDB's support to the youth and women's project - SEDWAY.

11 July 2025

MUTOKO, Zimbabwe (ILO News) – In a significant step toward strengthening Zimbabwe’s horticulture value chain and empowering youth entrepreneurs, the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training officially received a refrigerated truck and a seven-ton truck for operations at the ‘hub and spoke model’ for the Mutoko Fruit and Vegetable Hub. The handover ceremony, held in Harare, marked a milestone in the collaborative efforts between the Government of Zimbabwe, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Minister of Youth Machakaire and ILO Country Director Philile Masuku celebrate the vehicle handover — Vehicle handover signing ceremony

A symbol of partnership and progress

This event represents more than the delivery of a vehicle—it symbolizes a deep and productive partnership. Together, we are building pathways for the economic empowerment of young people across Zimbabwe.
Philile Masuku, ILO Country Office Director for Zimbabwe and Namibia

The trucks, funded under the Sustainable Enterprise Development for Women and Youth (SEDWAY) project, are designed to support cold-chain logistics, ensuring that produce from youth-led horticulture enterprises reaches markets fresh and competitive.

Youth Minister Machakaire shake hands with ILO Director Philile Masuku after the handover document signing ceremony

Driving youth empowerment

Tino Machakaire, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, emphasized the strategic importance of the vehicles:

These vehicles will enable produce to be transported to markets while preserving its quality and freshness. It thus completes a key link in the cold chain system—a crucial requirement for meeting market standards in the horticulture sector.
Tino Machakaire, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training

He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that the trucks benefit youth farmers, particularly through the creation of youth business clusters and market-driven operations at the Mutoko Hub.

Skills and sustainability

The ILO also highlighted the broader impact of the SEDWAY project, which has already trained over 2,300 young people—including nearly 1,200 young women—through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres.

“These initiatives reflect our shared vision of youth not merely as beneficiaries but as agents of change, innovation, and development,” Ms. Masuku noted.

Looking ahead, the ILO announced plans to support curriculum reform in horticulture, aquaculture, and goat farming, and to establish innovation hubs at TVET centres.

A shared vision for the future

Both leaders expressed gratitude to the African Development Bank for its unwavering support and reaffirmed their commitment to youth empowerment.

We look forward to working with you on future initiatives aimed at empowering the youth and strengthening the horticulture sector.
Tino Machakaire, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training