The realities of relevance

Drawing our attention to the economics of our industry it must be understood that generally our nation has a youthful society that makes up the majority which is why our focus in terms of development and empowerment must always gravitate towards this age bracket.
The current socio-economic environment we find ourselves in today across all sectors demands more than ever that we have leaders who can deliver on a big scale. This is because the challenges we now face are bigger, the problems we are constantly encountering are more complex hence the solutions we seek to find require more than just financial resource and human capital.
There is now greater need for individuals and institutions in strategic and influential positions to be relevant to the times and the specific challenges we are trying to contain. On Government’s part, it is no longer enough to be engaged in talks with the private sector that don’t seem to be producing and announcing policies that are not backed by vigorous implementation.
In order to address the economic challenges faced by young people, it is high time Government engages the private sector more closely, set parameters, deadlines and frameworks within which young people can be afforded a chance to contribute to economic growth.
It is high time the private sector is put to task for not participating in youth empowerment initiatives. The more the private sector ignores the youths, the more Government gets to be irrelevant in the eyes of young people. Young people see empowerment in an environment that recognises their special economic requirements and create instruments that make it possible for them to be profitable and at the same time being afforded a chance to create business that can be sustainable.
It is a given that a marketplace can be dominated by seniors since they would have been the first to trade on the market, but there should also always be space and room enough for young people to exercise their entrepreneurial skills. Again Government risks losing relevance if the youths continue to suffer frustration of the senior’s domination of the economy and the market place, affirmative action must be taken now to ensure that young people’s future participation in the economy is guaranteed.
Recently, there were uprisings and demonstrations against the private sector on Wall Street in the US. This is because overtime someone had lost their relevance.
In Europe there is a similar trend in Spain, Greece and Italy. These situations didn’t just sprout out of the blue, some organisation somewhere has been losing relevance, casting a blind eye without addressing the situation which has now turned into an ugly scene. The reality of our social dynamics are such that the people or institution in authority must be relevant to the people they represent or risk expressions of no confidence by the majority.
For a number of different reasons, it is incumbent upon today’s private sector to form close partnerships with youths. To increase its relevance, the private sector should conceive of young people not only as programme beneficiaries and corporate social responsibility targets, but also as partners in development and fellow leaders in pursuing economic growth.
Normally, whenever the relevance of leadership is at stake, matters tend to become political. When such happens for the sake of protecting their space, man often becomes defensive, claiming to be making the kinds of progress that don’t exist.
From a youth point of view, the fact is that the private sector is unwilling to open up opportunities for the youths. This is an anomaly that Government must deal with as it seeks to fulfill some of the commitments ratified in the African Youth Charter.
Dwight D Eisenhower once said, “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionable integrity and relevance.” Without it, no real success is possible, whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. The current global “youth bulge” makes these issues even more pressing.
Indeed, today’s large working-age populations do present something of a challenge for many countries, but with proper policies and initiatives in place, our Government and private sector actors can turn this challenge into a powerful force. A country with a growing workforce like ours must not necessarily be relegated to high levels of unemployment and widespread exportation of human capital.
Rather, by working proactively to form meaningful partnerships with young people, duty bearers can make the type of enduring, long-term investment that fosters social cohesion, and reduces economic and political volatility.
More young people lack security and do not bring experience and contacts to the business. Enterprises owned by youths tend to rely more on simple tools or have no equipment at all.
This is the exact reason why a special structure has to be in place to ensure sustainability of youths run enterprise.

Innocent Katsande is the communications officer for the Zimbabwe Youth Council.