About 400 Afghan female trainees on Tuesday were awarded certificates of accomplishment by USAID’s Promote Women in Government project.

It is expected that the women will now move on to work in government and in private institutions. 

“The Women in Government Project has been very effective in the capacity building of the women,” said one graduate Fakhria Karokhi. 

USAID’s Promote officials said they plan to provide training to over 3,000 Afghan women in various fields. 

“The role of women in government activities is to make sure that when these positions open up with the government of Afghanistan that there are plenty of young women who are well qualified and can achieve those positions based on merit,” said Susan Decamp, USAID Gender Office Director. 

“We will provide you (new graduates) all out support to hire you in our departments,” said Nabeela Musleh, the deputy minister of women’s affairs for administrative affairs. 

Meanwhile, officials from The Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC) have stressed the need for more opportunities to be provided to Afghan women so that they can utilize their expertise in various fields. 

IARCSC officials said the presence of women employees in government institutions has been very weak and that there is a need to increase the level of women recruits in the institutions. 

According to IARCS, over 83,000 women have applied for 18,000 government vacancies. In total, 225,000 applications have been received by the IARCSC. 

“Women’s presence is needed in the civil service sector in Afghanistan,” said IARCSC chief Nadir Nadery. 

In addition, Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah has said that the National Unity Government’s efforts to increase job opportunities for women has not been satisfactory. He said the number of female employees in government departments must be increased and that they must be employed on merit and qualification. 

“Employment has been a serious problem, the National Unity Government has done some work regarding employment, but it is not enough,” said Abdullah. 

The USAID’s Promote  Women in Government project advances and empowers Afghan women by fostering opportunities for professional development for female high school and university graduates interested in working with government institutions at national and sub-national levels.

Women in Government project builds the capacity of women aged 18 to 30 through internship programs, to ensure they have the necessary skills, experience, and knowledge to successfully become a next generation of Afghan political, business, and civil society leaders alongside their male counterparts.

So far 814 trainees have graduated from the project and 124 of them have been hired in government institutions.