New hope for youth and women: 96 graduates celebrate skills training milestone in Mazabuka
96 young men and women graduated from a transformative skills training programme jointly supported by Zambia Sugar Plc and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The initiative, aimed at enhancing youth employability and promoting sustainable development, equipped participants with certified construction skills now being applied in real-world projects across the region.
4 June 2025
MAZABUKA, Zambia (ILO News) - Joy and pride lit up the faces of 96 young men and women as they graduated from a transformative skills training programme supported by Zambia Sugar Plc and the International Labour Organization (ILO) at the colourful ceremony held at Mazabuka’s Nakambala Community Hall. Among them were 19 students trained under the ILO’s Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP), designed to create sustainable jobs for youth and women in Zambia.
The journey began in March 2020, under the ILO’s Regular Budget Supplementary Account (RBSA) funded project, “More and Better Jobs for Youth and Women,” in partnership with the Government of Zambia, the National Council for Construction (NCC), and private sector partners like Lafarge Cement and Zambia Sugar Plc.
As part of their training, students helped construct a 140-metre demonstration road in Mazabuka’s Lubombo community using cold mix asphalt and cobblestone paving —innovative, labour-intensive methods that are now part of NCC’s training curriculum.
Zambia Sugar Plc Managing Director, Mr. Oswald Mangwenzi, praised the collaboration.
“This partnership has helped us develop the skills of our local suppliers, especially as we begin upgrading 2,700 staff houses. We hope to continue training more people in the future,” he said.
ILO Country Director for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, Mr. Wellington Chibebe, encouraged graduates to use their new skills to create jobs and start businesses.
“We want public and private investments to be not just economically productive, but socially transformative,” he said, adding that Phase II of the EIIP is already in the works.
Mazabuka Town Clerk, Ms. Judith Mukwita-Maambo, expressed hope that the graduates would help the council better utilize the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and manage local projects more efficiently.
“We now have a pool of skilled workers who can take on government projects without needing retraining,” she said.
Graduate Loveness Nyirenda gave a heartfelt vote of thanks: “We are grateful to Zambia Sugar, NCC, and the ILO for believing in us. We are ready to use our skills to help develop our communities.”
NCC Executive Director, Professor Paul Makasa, emphasized the importance of a skilled and resilient construction workforce.
“As Zambia expands its infrastructure, we must ensure our workers can deliver quality results on time and within budget,” he said.
The graduates received certificates in various construction-related fields. Many are already applying their skills in real-world projects, including the ongoing upgrade of staff housing for Zambia Sugar employees.
