Malawian youths’ safety in Israel assured

Former Minister of foreign affairs Elsenhower Mkaka with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in August 2021.

Malawian youths travelling to Israel for jobs will live in safe and protected areas away from conflicts in Israel, the government has confirmed.

The government has also clarified on the much-talked about Israel job exportation saying the arrangement is the fulfilment of President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera’s commitment for job creation and youth empowerment.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Labour, the prospect of the Malawian youths to go and work in Israel is an arrangement between the Malawi government and the private sector to fulfil government’s drive of job creaction and youth empowerment championed by President Chakwera.

It reads: “The labour export program is an initiative of government [of Malawi] in collaboration with the private sector to fulfil this administration’s commitment to job creation and youth empowerment as championed by His Excellency Dr.Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi.”

The Ministry has confirmed that the first to live for Israel will work in the agriculture sector.

On security concerns especially now with the on going Israel-Hamas conflict, the Ministry has assured Malawians that it has an arrangement in place to ensure the safety of its people in Israel.

One such arrangement is that the Malawian youths will work at sites which are certified and approved fit and safe environment.

The Ministry further communicated that government has already put in place medical and repatriation arrangements in place in case of eventualities.

“Under the labour export program (government) would like to inform the public that the safety of the youth is paramount. On the Israel labour export, the youth will work at certified and approved locations which are classified as fit and safe environment,” said Kayira in the statement.

About 200 youth have left for Isreal in this arrangement which will see the unemployment rate drastically reduced in this country.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Finance Simplex Chithyola announced at a Press Briefing that Malawi will be exporting 5, 000 skilled youths annually to other countries as one way of job creation and youth empowerment.

According to statics, this is not the first time that Malawi has sent Malawians to learn and work in Israel. As an advanced agriculture country, the practical skills and knowledge that has been acquired there have been of use to Malawi’s agriculture especially in the irrigation over the years.

It is also not only Malawi that has been sending people to Israel. The two governments signed an active cooperation agreement which is still in place for the exchange of labour which has seen Israel sending workers to Malawi over the years.