Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
Matabeleland South youth quota legislator, Cde Tinashe Mushipe has emphasized the need for increased investment in youth development to harness the demographic dividend in Southern Africa.
He made the remarks while speaking at the Sadc Youth Consultative Conference on Enhancing Human, Social and Youth Development that is running between July 23 and July 25 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Cde Mushipe highlighted the challenges faced by young people in the region, including rising HIV infections, child marriages, migration, armed conflicts and limited access to quality healthcare and education.
He said the youth are not just passive beneficiaries of development but active agents of change.
“With the right investments in health, education, employment, and civic participation, the youthful population can be turned into a powerful driver of sustainable development,” said the legislator.
“I humbly call upon on stakeholders to work together to create an enabling environment for youth to thrive, dismantle barriers, and empower them to become agents of change”.
Cde Mushipe emphasized the importance of youth-led social accountability, demanding greater investment in education, healthcare, and economic opportunities for young people.
He also encouraged youth leaders and activists to continue championing youth-led social accountability and to demand greater investment in their development.
The MP said there was also a need to support the Sadc Youth Forum as a unified voice for advocacy and accountability.
“We gather under a powerful and urgent theme—”Enhancing Human, Social and Youth Development for Harnessing Demographic Dividends in Southern Africa.” This is not just a theme; it is a bold commitment to unlocking the potential of over 75 percent of our population—the youth,” he added.
Cde Mushipe said it was of paramount importance for the youth to be viewed as innovators, entrepreneurs, educators, peacebuilders, and protectors of the planet.
Their energy, creativity, and resilience, he said, are shaping the future of Africa.
“But while we celebrate their potential, we must also confront the stark realities that threaten to hold them back. The SADC region is standing at a critical juncture,” he said.
“We are blessed with a youthful population, a demographic gift that holds the key to unlocking unprecedented social and economic transformation.
“With over 60 percent of our population under the age of 24, our youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the driving force of today. This “youth bulge” presents a unique window of opportunity to accelerate development, but only if we make the right investments now”.
Cde Mushipe said the conference was a call to action and that it was now necessary to move beyond rhetoric and to take concrete steps to harness the demographic dividend.
He said there should be a collaborative commitment to deliver and create an enabling environment for youth to thrive, to dismantle the barriers that hold them back, and to empower them to become the agents of change in their communities and countries.
This means investing in quality education and skills development, ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and creating decent jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.
“As the incoming chair of Sadc, Zimbabwe has pledged to take the deliberations and call to action from the conference forward,” said Cde Mushipe.
“We will work tirelessly with all member states and partners to ensure that the voices of the youth are not just heard, but are at the centre of our regional development agenda.
“Let us seize this moment and work together to build a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable future for all”.
@tupeyo
Peter Tanyanyiwa