Employment Creation Department Programmes

The departmental programmes and activities are in the following areas:

Policy formulation

Legislation development

Support services

 

POLICY
The department advocates and lobbies for Government policy that is supportive to the development and growth of the informal sector and cooperatives. The department shall produce, through consultations with various stakeholders, cooperative development policy and employment creation policy. It lobbies for the recognition of the micro enterprises, the informal sector and cooperatives in any government policy geared towards the social-economic empowerment of grassroots communities.

Legislation Development
The department works towards the establishment of an operational environment that is conducive to the development of the informal sector and cooperatives. The department:

Administers the Co operative Societies Act Chapter 24:05 and any other Acts enacted relating to cooperates and the informal sector.

Intiates sector related cooperative legislation. Lobbies for the amendment of rules and regulations that impede the development and growth of the informal sector and cooperatives.

Develops policies and legislation on the informal sector and cooperatives and the informal sector. RESEARCH
The research is targeted at:
Generating information and developing a body of knowledge on the informal sector and cooperatives for use by national planners and policy makers.
Identifying the available business opportunities for the informal sector and cooperative investments.
Identifying markets for the informal sector and cooperative products.
Identifying districts and provincial resource bases.
Developing investment packages for the informal sector and cooperatives.
Managing information on the informal sector and cooperatives.

SUPPORT SERVICES

The department provides the following services:

Business advisory and extension services.

Entrepreneurship development

Micro-loans for start-up and working capital purposes (Employment creation Fund).

Project design and development.

Enterprise set up and cooperative registration.

Coordination of support agencies for community and cooperative development.

Monitor and evaluate informal sector projects and cooperatives.

Establishment of agencies outside government to implement the programmes geared towards the development of income generating projects and cooperatives.

Administration of an insurance scheme for Employment Creation Fund Loans.

Capacity building of cooperative unions and APEX organisations and informal sector associations.

Enhancement of the commercialisation of cooperatives.

Provision of legal back up to cooperatives.

Mainstreaming gender and HIV/ AIDS issues into informal sector projects and cooperatives.

Mobilisation of communities for cooperative and community development.

Grassroots business cluster and incubator development.

Registration and deregistration of cooperatives.

Project and cooperatives promotions.

Appropriate rural technology and information transfer.

Market and product development.

Registration and development of informal sector associations.

Commercialisation of rural cultural activities. The department aims at setting value addition and employment generating ventures at grassroots. These include such programmes as rural business incubators and clusters, workspace and work-shelter, income generating cultural activities, business linkages and village banks, the development of appropriate rural technology and running the people's markets and area shows. The activities being undertaken in these programmes include such non traditional ventures as:
Vegetable and fruit drying, canning, packaging and marketing.

Growing bamboos and production of bamboo furniture.

Seri culture and silk and cotton weaving

Formation of consumer cooperatives

Pottery and ceramic production

Cultural projects (Knitting, handicrafts, drama, music, dance, etc.

Production of traditional vegetables and marketing.

Mushroom production and processing.

Ranching and game farming.

Poultry production (geese, ducks, turkeys and others.)

Rabbitry.

Eco tourism.

Dairy products processing.

Information kiosks (InfoKiosk) and satellite connectivity.