Italian Embassy Activities

On 16 December 2020 at the Embassy of Italy in Addis Ababa premises it has been organized the last day of the SINCE final conference. In the past three years, the Programme established 17 multi-stakeholder platforms, which promoted 207 (185% of the initial target) sustainable job creation oriented Public-Private Partnerships. In total, 28 TVETs have been capacitated and strengthened through 41 new or improved private sector demand-driven short-term training courses. Overall, 592 (183.85% of the target) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been supported by providing
skilled manpower and capacitated to host 6,950 (90% of the target) cooperative
trainings and apprenticeships. The Programme was able to provide short-term
training certificates to 7,220 women, youth potential irregular migrants and
returnees, which resulted in wage employment for 5,500 of these. These are some
of the results presented along with best practices during the online event participated
by 92 representatives of 37 SINCE stakeholders and organizations including
representatives from the European Union Delegation to Ethiopia, the Embassy of
Italy in Addis Ababa, Government of Ethiopia, implementing partners, and
private sector representatives.

On 14th and 15th December 2020, 2 afternoon panel discussions have been conducted online with the participation of more than 60 representatives from EU Delegation, SINCE implementing partners, Government Agencies, NGOs, and other institutions. The panel discussions focused on the SINCE Programme experiences on Decent Work promotion, Public Employment Services support, Public Private Partnership facilitation and Apprenticeship experiences. The Cadena researchers presented their findings and recommendations on case studies conducted in the SINCE Programme implementation areas. Following the presentations and the discussions, Ayalu Admass – ILO National Project Coordinator, Fikadu Tiumezgi- Partnership and Investment Director at Job Creation Commission, Paolo Razzini UNIDO International Project Coordinator and Ivan Toscano – VIS TVET Expert, summarized the interventions and acknowledged how the SINCE Programme was able to creates a tangible ground for future interventions in the areas of Decent Work promotion, PES and PPP establishment and reinforcement or Apprenticeship facilitation.

On 18^th September 2020, the final external evaluation of the SINCE Programme implementation has started. Representatives from SINCE staff, project coordinators, ILO, and UNIDO participated on the kick off meeting, organized by the consultancy firm A.R.S. Progetti s.p.a, to introduce the objectives of the evaluation and to identify lessons learned and good practices.

After revising the SINCE Programme documents, the evaluation team visited activities implemented by the 5 SINCE Consortia projects.

This final evaluation is a learning process for all SINCE stakeholders participating in sharing their experiences, ideas and suggestions, in view of defining recommendations for future job creation projects addressing potential irregular migrants and returnees.

On July 28, 2020, representatives from SINCE Programme, together with the SINCE Addis Ababa implementing partner’s staff, have visited the rehabilitation activities of the PES centres in Kirkos and Addis Ketema sub cities in Addis Ababa. During the visit the employees of the PES centers recognized the importance of the SINCE support and discussed with the SINCE team some challenges they are still facing.

SINCE Addis Ababa provided support for the rehabilitation of PES centres in 4 sub cities, namely Arada, Addis Ketema, Kirkos and Yeka with the aim to better organize a sustainable job matching process. The four PES centres are now equipped with new organized spaces, also for counselling, and office furniture and computers, including a job-matching database with an online cloud server system. The 4 sub cities PES staff also attended personal development and database management training organized by the SINCE Addis Ababa Project in collaboration with Dereja.com.

On 28 February 2020, the High Representative and Vice President EU, Joseph Borrell visited SINCE beneficiaries who are working at Ethio-Leather Industry Plc (ELICO) in Addis Ababa.

Ambassador of Italy to Ethiopia, Arturo Luzzi, government officials, implementing partners and media attended the visit.

Participants discussed with the SINCE beneficiaries and implementing partners on SINCE activities and results.

On 18 February 2020, SINCE Programme, in collaboration with Cadena international development projects (Cadena) team organized a validation workshop on four SINCE case studies at Jupiter hotel in Addis Ababa.

The workshop was attended by 40 participants including representatives from implementing partners, European Union, regional government bureaus, TVET Agency, MoLSA and private enterprises.

The validation workshop was an opportunity to collect feedback from implementers, development workers and other stakeholders on the draft findings of the four SINCE case studies (Decent work, Apprenticeship, Public Private Partnership, and PES) produced by Cadena during the 2019 fieldwork activity.

On 10 February 2020, President of European Union Council, His excellency Charles Michel, paid a visit to Ramsay shoe factory workshops and discussed with the SINCE Programme beneficiaries whom are working as apprentices at the factory in Addis Ababa.

Higher officials of the European Union, representatives from Embassy of Italy in Addis Ababa, local government officials and NGOs implementing partners participated to the visit.

Ramsay is one of the factories collaborating with SINCE, participating to the new established Addis Ababa leather sectoral platform and signing a Public Private Partnership with TVET and MoLSA.

On 30 January 2020, the song entitled “Sidet Lemn” by Mr. Dawit Nigatu Demissie, Mr. Nuru Umer Adem and Mr. Tesfaye Mamo Wendimagegnehu has won the SINCE song contest “New tunes on the risks of irregular migration” among 31 competitors and was awarded ETB 40 thousand 1st prize by the Ambassador of Italy in Ethiopia, H.E. Arturo Luzzi.

The SINCE song final event was held at the Italian Cultural Institute in Addis Ababa and was attended by 300 guests from the Government authorities, the diplomatic community, international agencies, celebrities, and general public.

The song entitled “Sidet Lemn” has been selected from a grand jury of artists, from which also the internationally renowned father of Ethio-Jazz, Dr. Mulatu Astatke.

The following artists have competed in the song contest by presenting new tunes: Samuel Negash Teferi, Meaza G/Meskel Feleke, Gizachew Mulatu Ayele with “Akaki Zeraf” and “Lemn Enseded”, Belete Shewakena Ergete, Solomon Tefera Gule and Tsige Tefera W/Giorgis with “Bekan Bekan”; Tarekegn Haile W/Giorgis, Dawit Midegsa Werji and Kalkidan H/Silasie G/Hiwot and Anley Legesse Korcha with “Kibur New”; Yoseph Bekele Gutema with “Sidet Kifu”; Haftom Abrha and Mikiyas Andualem with “Sidet Lemn”; Ademe Wale Tefera, Workineh Moges Demeke and Ashenafi Shiferaw Haile with “Sidet Yibka”; Melkam Admasu with “Weha Kedagna”.

On December 2019, Cadena international development projects team paid visits to observe SINCE best practices in the Programme implementation areas such as Amhara (Dec 2-4,2019), Oromia (Dec 4-6, 2019), Tigray (Dec 11-12, 2019), Addis Ababa (Dec 13,2019) and Bahir Dar (Dec 17, 2019). During the visit, the Cadena team briefly discussed with SINCE beneficiaries and stakeholders to receive first-hand information.

Cadena is working on four SINCE case studies: Decent work, Apprenticeship, Public Private Partnership, and Public Employment Services in order to systematize best achievements by the different SINCE implementing partners and to draw recommendations for policy development and future interventions on job creation.

On 27 November 2019, representatives from SINCE Programme Federal and Regional Steering Committees members, implementing partners, EU Delegation to Ethiopia and Embassy of Italy paid a visit to meet some of SINCE beneficiaries who are working and doing their apprenticeship at Kabana Leather factory in Addis Ababa.

After the visit, the participants conducted the eighth Steering Committee meeting and discussed the achievements, challenges and lesson learned during the last six-month Programme implementation.

On 20 March 2019, the 7^th Federal Steering Committee of the SINCE Programme was held in Addis Ababa at Ethiopian Ministry of Finance premises with the presence of representatives from EU, Italian Embassy, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, UN agencies and Implementing partners. During the meeting, participants discussed the 2018 SINCE Programme report and challenges encountered during implementation of the Programme activities.

On 23rd of November 2018 in Bruxelles (Belgium), Mr. Pierpaolo Bergamini, SINCE Programme Coordinator, has presented the SINCE Programme in an international workshop on migration in the framework of the EU co-funded project “REM – Rights, Duties and solidarity”.

On the occasion, he explained the strategy of the SINCE Programme to reduce irregular migration in Ethiopia by creating better economic opportunities for potential irregular migrants and returnees.

On 27 August 2018 in Addis Ababa, MoFEC hosted the 5th SINCE Programme Steering Commitees at its premises.  The meeting was fruitful to allow the five SINCE consortia leader (People in Need Ethiopia, Edukans, COOPI, International Rescue Committee – Europe and VIS Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo) to update the participants on the progress of the activities. The January-June 2018 consolidated report was also presented by the organization in charge of monitoring and evaluation, UNIDO – United Nations Industrial Development Organization, which highlighted the particular focus given by the SINCE Programme to the gender issue in the selection of its over 8000 direct beneficiaries. ILO – International Labour Organization, which is also implementing a project in the Amhara Regional State gave valuable information on the role of the Youth Employability Services (YES) center which was inaugurated last June.

Directors for the Ethiopian Agriculture, Education, Foreign Affairs, Industry, Urban Development and Housing Ministries expressed also their suggestions in the overall Programme implementation with focus on their respective sectors.