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a big say in the destiny of the levers of State power.
Zimbabwe’s population is currently pegged at 12,9 million, with youths constituting close to 60 percent. It is also estimated that the youth constitute 54 percent of the total labour force which is not formally employed but engaged in the informal sector.
Furthermore, while the education system churns out over 300 000 young people into the labour market annually, less than 10 percent of these are absorbed into formal employment. The rest have to find their way into the informal sector where they have to run their own enterprises for survival.
While the youth population is in the majority, it is this group that has borne the brunt of unemployment and poverty.
According to statistics released by the International Labour Organisation, of the 200 million unemployed people in the world, 75 million (or 40 percent) are in Africa, with Zimbabwe not being an exception. In fact, four out of 10 of the unemployed people in Zimbabwe are young people.
While the current generation of African leaders brought political independence and consolidated human rights and other freedoms, today’s generation of youths stands at the crossroads of past inequality and underdevelopment and future prosperity and economic empowerment.
It is, therefore, critical for any political formation that dreams of winning the hearts and souls of the nation, being the youth influence, to have sound plans for youth benefit and empowerment. Thus, the youth question has huge potential of being the decider in the forthcoming elections.
In Zanu-PF’s viewpoint youth development is an absolute necessity while youth economic empowerment is an imperative that can neither be ignored nor wished away. Thus, the majority of its policies are deliberately biased towards youth participation and beneficiation.
The mere fact that the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Robert Mugabe, found it necessary to marry youth development, indigenisation and economic empowerment themes under one ministry, bears testimony to the seriousness with which Zanu-PF views youth empowerment.
Throughout its stay in Government Zanu-PF has facilitated the implementation of a youth economic empowerment programme that is defined by a triangle approach with emphasis being placed on creating opportunities, business skills development and entrepreneurial training and finally the provision of funding, especially for youth enterprises.
Creating empowerment opportunities facilitates economic development of the indigenous young people who are in the majority. The idea calls for creation of a positive relationship between resource ownership and youth economic empowerment, the creation of new wealth and its redistribution.
Youths are being encouraged to develop a sense of tapping into opportunities for growth and unlocking new value in the economy.
Through the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment youths are being assisted to explore a myriad of opportunities in mining and minerals processing, agriculture and agri-processing, manufacturing, tourism, energy and power development, ICT, finance, transportation, service industries, construction and infrastructural development.
The second leg of the empowerment process is the facilitation of the development of financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills for youth.
Thus Zanu-PF-led ministries have facilitated capacity building initiatives for funding targets, technical skills acquisition and transfer to previously marginalised groups.
Through the Zimbabwe Youth Council the Government has been training youth associations on leadership and entrepreneurship development. Vocational training centres have been set up throughout the provinces to empower youths with relevant skills in starting and sustaining businesses or income-generating projects.
The Zanu-PF wing of the Government of National Unity, through the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, has facilitated the setting up of youth empowerment funds such as the Kurera/Ukondla Youth Fund to the tune of US$11 million, the CABS Youth Fund with US$1 million availed every year, the IDBZ Youth Fund, and the recently launched Tobacco Empowerment Fund with US$12 million reserved for youth involved in tobacco farming. On the other hand, Stanbic Bank has set aside a US$20 million Wealth Creation Fund to finance youth enterprises.
Close to US$4 million has been distributed through the programme to finance youth businesses creating employment for a significant number of the country’s young people.
In addition to the noted empowering initiatives the President’s Department is championing another youth empowerment initiative namely the Graduate Entrepreneurship Programme through which university graduates will be fast-tracked into the mainstream economy.
While Zanu-PF has been leaving no stone unturned in advancing youth empowerment issues the MDC formations are doing everything in their powers to stifle youth economic empowerment.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and all the economic ministries under the watch of the MDC-T have failed dismally to articulate issues to do with youth empowerment or youth employment creation.
Instead, the MDC has exhibited boundless energy in opposing the indigenisation and youth empowerment programmes that has the full potential of uplifting our young people’s lives. In a slap in the face to young people who used to support the party the MDC-T has been discouraging youths from accessing the empowerment funds and victimising those who support youth empowerment.
In fact, most recently Prime Minister Tsvangirai indicated that his party would reverse all the youth empowerment initiatives that are being championed by Zanu-PF should he ever come to power.
Thus, hundreds of businesses financed by youth empowerment funds stand to be halted with youth upliftment being rolled back by a number of years should Tsvangirai’s State House dream come to fruition.
The MDC-T Deputy Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Tongai Matutu, who is supposed to be assisting Minister Kasukuwere in driving youth empowerment programmes, has been dead silent for the past five years.
In fact, the last time Zimbabweans heard about Matutu was when he was arraigned before the courts for leading a group of youths, not into the empowerment paradise, but to assault respected traditional leader Chief Serima in Masvingo, for a matter so trivial to warrant mention here.
In terms of economic policy MDC-T’s Juice fails to articulate youth empowerment issues with vague references to foreign-funded and foreign-created jobs as panaceas to youth unemployment in Zimbabwe.
In the final analysis it should be put across without fear or favour that while Zanu-PF has gone on the forefront in advancing youth development, MDC-T has dithered, vacillated and shied away from tackling the burning youth question.
In fact, throughout its 14 years of existence the MDC-T has failed the youth of this country and there is no sign that this will change in the next five years.
Coming back to the forthcoming elections which young people are poised to dominate youths should not find it difficult to make a choice between joy and despair, between poverty and plenty, between stagnancy and progress, and indeed between Zanu-PF the party of youth empowerment and the MDC-T the party of rhetoric and vacillation.
The youth question should be addressed now or never, and youth should make a loud statement that endorses a party that champions their empowerment and upliftment.
Kurai Prosper Masenyama is the Zanu-PF Director for Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment and member of the Zanu-PF Youth League.
Online Reporter