Government’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) on Friday adopted an implementation plan aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the EPWP social sector.

The plan, which was adopted during the EPWP Social Sector Conference, focused on enabling the EPWP sector to adhere to its objective of providing work opportunities to unemployed and unskilled people through the delivery of social development and community protection services.

The EPWP conference signified the end of the EPWP Phase 2, which started in April 2009 with the objective of creating 4.5-million work opportunities.

Of these, 750 000 were expected to be created by the social sector between 2009 and 2014.

In a statement, the Departments of Public Works and Social Development pointed out that the EPWP social sector had achieved more than 800 000 work opportunities by December last year, against the set target of 750 000, through programmes such as Early Childhood Development, Home Community-Based Care, School Nutrition, Community Crime Prevention, School Mass Participation and mass literacy campaign Kha Ri Gude.

The social sector had a further obligation to create 1.04-million work opportunities towards the overall EPWP Phase 3 target of creating six-million jobs.