Online Reporter
Remember Deketeke
President Mnangagwa is expected to officiate at the National Youth Symposium in Harare today, where he will launch the National Youth Empowerment Strategy, marking a major step in aligning youth development initiatives.
The National Youth Strategy will be the roadmap for structured youth development programming and coordination in Zimbabwe.
The symposium, which started yesterday, is running under the theme, “Empower the youth, secure the future”.
Speaking during a tour of stands at the National Youth Symposium at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Showgrounds yesterday, Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training Minister, Tino Machakaire confirmed the President’s coming today.
“So, on Wednesday (today) it was a day set aside for recognising the youths who have excelled in all spheres of life and see how best we can motivate them to do more,” he said.
“The President is also expected to launch the National Youth Strategy, which will be a roadmap for youth development from the Transitional Stabilisation Programme, National Development Strategy 1 and 2.”
Minister Machakaire added that the Second Republic, under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, had already provided a clear roadmap for youth empowerment through deliberate policy direction.
“If you see, His Excellency has already given the roadmap. He has deliberately, with intent, shown us what we need to do,” he said.
“Tomorrow (today), we launch the National Youth Empowerment Strategy, which binds us to other ministries so that we are not just referring young people from one ministry to another; we will now have inter-ministerial committees where we give each other actual feedback, statistics and results.”
The minister said the new strategy would ensure that every sector of Government tracks its impact on young people, enabling better decision-making and targeted support.
“For example, we will be able to see, at school level, how many young people we are actually reaching. If we are not reaching enough, we adjust. Where we are doing well, we focus a lot more,” he said.
Youth Deputy Minister Kudakwashe Mupamhanga said the symposium was conceived to foster collaboration, coordination and accountability among all players involved in youth development.
“We said, let us bring everyone together. Let us start programming together. Not just for the symposium, but even beyond, we are going into a strategic meeting after this,” he said.
“We also want to use this opportunity to network ourselves as a ministry, to connect with other organisations and identify young people out there that we might not yet have in our database.
“This will help us programme better in the future.”
Harare Youth Transporters Association (HAYTA) chairman Mr Edmore Gwengwe, who is exhibiting at the symposium, said the event provided an important platform for young entrepreneurs in the transport sector to engage directly with policymakers and developmental partners.
“This symposium is a game-changer for us as young players in the transport industry,” he said.
“For a long time, youth-led transport initiatives have operated in isolation, but here we are able to interact with other sectors, learn about financing opportunities, and align our work with national development goals.”
Hwange-based entrepreneur Mr Allan Twalumba, said his company is demonstrating how innovation and sustainability can drive youth-led industrial growth.
His enterprise manufactures eco-friendly bricks and roof tiles from coal waste, turning what was once an environmental hazard into a source of livelihood.
“Twalumba Bricks is committed to sustainable construction and environmental stewardship,” he said.
“By recycling coal waste, we are not only protecting the environment but also providing affordable building materials for our communities.”
