Close to three dozen leather manufacturers will start supplying bags and shoes to students of the public schools in the capital beginning this year. Dubbed the School Shoe and Bag Uniform Project, the programme aims at creating a market for leather factories and support for low-income families.

The Addis Abeba Education Bureau and the Leather Industry Development Institute is set to pilot the project this year. Under the scheme, students will get a uniform, bag and shoes. Specifically, each student will get a bag and two pairs of shoes for each academic year.

The school shoes and bag project includes 22 leather factories and 15 micro, small and medium-scale leather manufacturers. These leather manufacturers will produce shoes and bags for students from grades one through eight.

The 37 manufacturers will supply 600,000 pairs of shoes and 300,000 bags a year to elementary students in Addis Abeba. A pair of shoes will be supplied at between 250 Br to 270 Br, depending on the size of the shoe and the price of the bags. The Institute will work on the design and inspection of the quality of the shoes and the bags.

The Institute plans to cooperate with federal and regional governments and donors to raise funds for the programme, which will start in the capital this year and in five regional states next year, according to Biruk Tilahun, communications officer at the Institute.

"We're looking for donors and NGOs who can contribute to the project," said Biruk. "The project is expected to upgrade the sector by upscaling its profitability."

Previously, the City Administration launched a school feeding programme, which offers free meals and school materials such as uniforms to over 300,000 students at public junior schools in the capital. The City Administration will partner with garment makers and donors for the project.

The Addis Abeba School Feeding Agency discussed this issue with the Institute, according to Anchinesh Tesfaye, head of the Agency.

"But it hasn't yet decided to launch the project," Anchinesh said.

The aim of the project is creating jobs, promoting local production, creating a market for micro and small-scale leather producers, and supporting students who come from low-income families, according to Biruk.