Online Reporter
Fortune Makoni [email protected]
YOUTHS in Ward 22 of Bubi District have hailed President Mnangagwa’s donation of five pigs, saying the project is equipping them with practical livestock production skills while creating opportunities for income generation, entrepreneurship and self-reliance.
The beneficiaries said the piggery project is keeping young people productively engaged, reducing the risk of drug and substance abuse while fostering a culture of hard work and community development.
The pigs are being managed with the support of local village head Mr Mpofu, who has provided shelter and feed for the animals using his own resources.
The youths said his support has enabled the project to take off and created favourable conditions for the pigs to grow and reproduce.
Village head, Mr Mpofu, pledged to continue supporting the initiative, describing it as an important youth empowerment programme.
“I will continue assisting where I can, but more support is needed for feed and better shelter for the pigs,” he said.
The beneficiaries said their long-term plan is to breed the pigs before selling them to supermarkets and other markets, with proceeds being reinvested to expand the project and benefit more young people.
They said the initiative is also exposing them to practical skills in livestock production, agribusiness and project management.
One of the beneficiaries, Ms Maswazi Mkhwananzi, who also serves as the provincial finance chairperson, said the group intends to replicate the project across the district once the pigs reproduce.
“We aim to grow this project and extend it to other wards so that more youths can benefit and become self-reliant.
Once the pigs reproduce, we intend to distribute one boar and one sow to youth leaders from other wards, who will then establish similar projects within their communities,” she said.
“This will help spread the benefits of the initiative and encourage more young people to participate in productive activities.”
Another beneficiary, Mr Walter Moyo, who is district chairperson of youth affairs, thanked President Mnangagwa and the village head for supporting the project while appealing for additional assistance.
“We appreciate our President for donating the pigs, including our village head, Mr Mpofu, for supporting us with food and shelter for the pigs, but we appeal for assistance to improve the shelter and sustain feeding,” he said.
He said financial support from stakeholders would enable the group to purchase adequate feed and improve housing facilities as the project expands.
“The initiative demonstrates the importance of empowering young people with practical opportunities and reflects the vision of leaving no one and no place behind as the country works towards Vision 2030.
“We are optimistic that this project will continue growing and create lasting benefits for us as young people in Bubi District,” said Mr Moyo.
The piggery project complements the Second Republic’s youth empowerment agenda, which prioritises agriculture as a key driver of employment creation and rural industrialisation. Under the Presidential Youth Empowerment
Schemes and the Agriculture, Food Systems, and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRTS 2), Government is supporting young people in establishing sustainable agricultural enterprises, improving household incomes and contributing to national food security.
In April, the Government launched a US$1 million Youth Economic Empowerment Fund to support young entrepreneurs and drive job creation, with plans to scale the facility to US$5 million in the near future.
The initiative, which aligns with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030, promotes youth participation in productive sectors of the economy through skills development, entrepreneurship and community-based income-generating projects aimed at building resilient rural livelihoods.
