Germany has made a vast contribution in Albania, ensuring that the assistance provided in the last three decades by the German Development Cooperation reaches the people who really need it. The employment effects of the programmes funded by the German Government in Albania were presented in a conference on Friday, 14 May 2021, in Tirana.
In the last three years, from 2018 to 2020, the technical and financial assistance provided by the German Development Cooperation has contributed to employ around 20.000 people, more than half of them in newly created job positions.
The programmes implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and German Development Bank (KfW) operate in different areas such as Vocational Education and Training, Business Development and its access to finance, rural tourism and agriculture.
“The employment promotion measures are focused on: Job placement within the framework of job and career fairs, preparation for applications and job interviews as well as long- and short-term trainings. Furthermore, we give support to micro, small and medium enterprises to grow and innovate and in this way to create new jobs! And the results are impressive: Through start-up training and small grants, we could help to create 500 new jobs.”, German Ambassador Peter Zingraf said during the conference.
Special attention is payed towards professional trainings of local population, including returnees, as well as support towards Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises with better Business Development Services, trainings, and grants. “We know that many Albanian citizens think about emigration – but our goal is to create perspectives in the country. By supporting Albania’s economy, we help to generate attractive job and career opportunities.”, Ambassador Zingraf underlined.
A large number of local businesses, mainly farmers, have had access to finance and have been supported due to the guarantee of Rural Credit Guarantee Foundation, with an overall total volume of over 35.5 million euros in disbursed loans, financed by the German Government, through KFW.
Germany is the largest bilateral donor in Albania, with an investment volume of more than EUR 1 billion, in a mix of loans and grants. For further information, the recording of the hybrid conference is accessible on the Facebook page of the German Embassy Tirana: www.facebook.com/AmbasadaGjermaneTirana
/argumentum.al
