Online Reporter
Judith Phiri, [email protected]
THE Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Judith Ncube, has commended Bulawayo-based clothing manufacturing company, TICOZ Enterprise for its youth empowerment programmes.
The programme has equipped the youth with skills, resources and opportunities to improve their livelihoods.
Speaking after touring the company’s production factory on Wednesday, the Minister said more companies should take up the initiative to empower the youth.
“TICOZ Enterprise is one of the businesses that we identified and they got an award during the Women Investment Conference because of the services that they provide. These include training the young people through the vocational approach that they have and this means a lot to the future generation,” she said.
“The youth are the future business people. We need more businesspeople, especially women and the services being offered here align to that. Some of the young people here have come from rural areas as far as Nkayi, Tsholotsho, Gokwe and Mberengwa, among others.”
She said empowering youth from rural areas speaks to the rural industrialisation drive being spearheaded by the Government under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, ensuring that no one and no place is left behind.
Minister Ncube said the skills that the youth were acquiring would enable them to effectively handle the demands, challenges and opportunities of everyday life.
“What is needed is for us to talk with those with resources to support these empowerment initiatives so that the youth could be able to start their own small businesses.
“They will be able to grow because of the skills background they have been given here at TICOZ Enterprise,” she added.
“Of interest, there is a girl from South Africa who came for the training here to do tailoring, pattern making, cutting and finishing of all the production. She talks confidently to say that she is so happy for the opportunity she got here. As the Government, we really appreciate the role they are playing.”
TICOZ Enterprise Operations Director, Ms Tafadzwa Zimbudzana, said to address unemployment challenges, they are training young people at their company.
“We have a very high unemployment rate, with young people being the majority. We came up with an initiative of training young people from across the country. When they finish the six months training, we hire some of them.
“When secure more tenders, it means we are able to hire more of our graduates, so we are not just training but also providing employment,” she said.
Ms Zimbudzana said most of the girls they train are from disadvantaged backgrounds and these include some from as far as SA.
The Minister Ncube was accompanied by a delegation comprising Joint Operations Command (JOC) members, Government officials and stakeholders from various sectors who are on a two-day tour of key development and legacy projects in Bulawayo.
The visits form part of Government efforts to gain a clearer understanding of the scope, implementation status and challenges affecting strategic projects across the city, while identifying interventions required to ensure their timely completion.
