Albanian government allocates fund to boost employment

 The Albanian government has allocated 4.5 million U.S. dollars in funding to stimulate employment in the country, particularly in areas hit hard by torrential floods, a local newspaper reported on Saturday.

The fund was launched by Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday in the city of Fier in southwest Albania, according to the Albanian Daily News.

"There's a special fund to stimulate employment and this fund is allocated to all of those who are looking for a job and companies," Rama was quoted as saying.

Albanian Social Welfare and Youth Minister Erion Veliaj said that 1 million dollars of the fund will be given to flood-hit areas including Fier and Vlora in southwestern Albania, expressing the hope that businesses could employ more residents from flood-hit areas.

Flood swept Albania's southern and southeastern regions recently, and 600 families have been evacuated so far and over 17,000 hectares of land have been inundated.