Fourth Ethiopian National Advisory Meeting

On September 26th, 2025, the Ethiopian National Advisory Group of the MOBILISE project held its fourth meeting at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Addis Ababa. Chaired by Dr. Huub Mudde, Project Director of MOBILISE, the session brought together representatives from the Ministry of Labor and Skills (MoLS), the Ethiopian Horticulture Producers and Exporters Association (EHPEA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Hawassa University, and the European Union Delegation.

Dr. Mudde presented updates on project progress, findings from the mid-term review, and the proposed shift toward in-country traineeships as a sustainable model for enhancing graduate employability.

Participants expressed strong support for this new direction. A representative of the EU Delegation suggested a two-step traineeship model, starting with local placements and potentially leading to international opportunities for top performers. The IOM representative encouraged collaboration with recruitment agencies and the use of existing labor market studies to identify new opportunities.

Representatives from EHPEA emphasized the capacity of local horticultural companies such as Florensis and Sher Ethiopia to provide quality internships, proposing the development of value propositions and co-financing mechanisms to engage employers. MoLS highlighted the importance of aligning higher education and TVET curricula with market needs, while Hawassa University confirmed the feasibility of integrating project modules into existing programs to ensure sustainability.

The group agreed to integrate previous pre-departure and return programs into the new in-country scheme and to revise related terminology. The meeting concluded with an agreement about developing a detailed implementation plan by the project management in close cooperation with HU and EHPEA, aiming to launch the first traineeships by mid-2026.