Dr. Mustafa Mastoor, the Afghan Minister of Economy, warmly welcomed our representative Tahora at his office. He attentively listened to an introduction about our association and our motivation to support women.
Dr.Mastoor stated that the unemployment rate in Afghanistan is shockingly high. The underlying reason for this high unemployment rate is the discrepancy between the requirements of the job market and the level of qualification of graduates from domestic Universities. The lack of competencies in the job market increased the need of seeking brain gains and international talents to bridge this gap. The most pragmatic approach is when, development cooperations shift their focus on qualifying and upskilling the domestic youth according to the needs of the job market.
He further added that there are 6 million unemployed females who can not work due to a lack of security, traditional pressures and patriarchal social structures, even though they are under a huge responsibility to support their extended families.
For these women, projects can be initiated to create opportunities and allow them to pursue home-based businesses.