Online Reporter
Alicia Kadzviti
Online Reporter
THE Government has challenged young people to reject a dependency mindset and seize opportunities created through youth empowerment initiatives, saying entrepreneurship, innovation and skills development are critical to achieving inclusive economic growth and Vision 2030.
The call was made during the Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (YEE) Learning Event, organised by SNV and its partners, which brought together policymakers, development partners, private sector players and young entrepreneurs to reflect on strategies for improving youth employment and enterprise development.
The forum focused on key issues affecting young people, including access to finance, private sector-led employment models, skills development and policy frameworks that promote entrepreneurship and decent work.
Speaking as guest of honour, Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training Minister Tino Machakaire said empowering young people remains a national priority, urging them to take full advantage of Government programmes designed to support enterprise development and job creation.
“Young people are not just leaders of tomorrow; they are partners in building Zimbabwe today,” he said
He said the Government was committed to creating an enabling environment for young people through quality education, vocational skills training, entrepreneurship support, innovation hubs, access to finance and markets.
Minister Machakaire said youth employment should be viewed as an investment rather than an act of generosity, adding that every dollar channelled towards young people contributed to Zimbabwe’s future productivity, industrialisation and prosperity.
He said the Government had already laid policy foundations for youth economic transformation through the National Development Strategy 2, the National Youth Employment Strategy 2025-2030 and the recently approved National Youth Policy 2026-2030.
Minister Machakaire also stressed that youth unemployment could not be solved by one institution alone, calling for stronger collaboration among Government, development partners, the private sector and financial institutions.
“Real and sustainable transformation will only happen when we combine our strengths and work towards one common vision,” he said.
He commended SNV and development partners, including Sweden and Switzerland, for supporting vocational training, enterprise development, financial inclusion, market linkages and digital innovation.
The minister said the achievements recorded under the programme since its inception in 2019 showed that young people were not looking for “handouts” but opportunities to build sustainable livelihoods.
“We seek to build a generation of entrepreneurs, industrialists, innovators and global competitors. Young people should not merely seek jobs, but create them,” he said.
He encouraged young people to approach his ministry with business ideas and initiatives, saying Government offices were open to support innovation and youth-led enterprises.
“Do not wait for opportunities. Do not fear failure. Failure is often the tuition fees for success,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of Sweden, embassy representative Lilian Mawere said the project had demonstrated the value of investing in youth as a pathway to resilience, social cohesion and long-term economic transformation.
She said more than 18 000 young people had been equipped with employability skills under the programme, with many transitioning into employment and income-generating activities.
“These figures represent more than statistics,” she said.
“They represent livelihoods created, confidence restored, families supported and communities strengthened.”
Mawere said one of the key lessons from the project was that many young people were not waiting for jobs, but were instead creating enterprises and bringing along their peers.
She said youth entrepreneurship, when linked to practical skills, finance, mentorship and markets, could become a powerful driver of local economic development.
Mawere, however, noted that Sweden’s bilateral development cooperation strategy with Zimbabwe would end at the close of this year, but said the institutions, systems and innovations built through the programme should continue generating impact long after the funding cycle ends.
“The greatest measure of success will not be the number of activities implemented, but whether the systems created continue to support young people years from now,” she said.
Switzerland’s representative Lawrence Lewis also hailed the partnership, saying the event was not merely ceremonial but a platform to learn, reflect and strengthen future programmes for young entrepreneurs.
He said while the project had delivered strong results since 2019, the most significant impact lay beyond the numbers, in the resilience of young people, stronger institutions and improved private sector linkages.
Lewis said Switzerland believed lasting change depended on strong local solutions, effective institutions, functioning markets and empowered communities.
He said young people were central to sectors such as agriculture, renewable energy, manufacturing and digital services, but noted that skills alone were not enough without a supportive operating environment and access to finance.
“Going forward, we should focus on strengthening businesses, expanding market opportunities, supporting young women and vulnerable groups, and investing in climate-smart and digital enterprises,” he said.
A beneficiary of the programme, young entrepreneur Ryan Sigauke, said initiatives such as the YEE project had helped young people identify and take advantage of opportunities in business, skills development and digital entrepreneurship.
He said before joining the programme, he had little understanding of where or how to start a business, but the intervention opened his eyes to the importance of mindset, skills and recognising opportunities.
