Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
THE Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development, and Vocational Training is developing strategies to accelerate youth empowerment across the country, which will feed into the second phase of the National Development Strategy (NDS2).
Last week, the ministry began youth consultative meetings to gather views on strategies for enhanced youth transformation. The consultative process, running until March 3, is being held in partnership with the United Nations and Silveira House.
Youths from Matabeleland South, meeting in Gwanda, called for increased funding for projects, better information dissemination, infrastructure development, upscaling of youth training programmes, improved internet access, improved network coverage, the establishment of recreational facilities, and the relaxation of restrictive legislation, among other things.
Speaking at the meeting, Bindura State University lecturer Dr Lovemore Musemwa, lead consultant for the youth empowerment strategy development process, said the strategy will be anchored on seven pillars: economic empowerment, technology and digital innovation, education and training, health and well-being.
The other pillars are governance, climate change, and gender equality — leaving no one and no place behind.
“As technocrats, including development partners, academia, and industry, we have produced a draft document, which I will share with you so that you can contribute your ideas, which we will then incorporate,” he said.
Mr Musemwa said the strategy will, among other things, seek to ensure that young people are economically empowered, moving from being employed to becoming entrepreneurs. It will also seek to ensure access to technology to foster innovation while promoting education and training, health, and well-being among young people.
The strategy also seeks to promote gender equality to ensure no one and no place is left behind.
Dr Blazio Manobo, director of strategic planning and policy planning, monitoring, and evaluation in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, said the strategy will guide the Government on how to address youth empowerment.
He stressed the importance of empowering young people, as they account for a third of the country’s population.
“As a ministry, we have engaged in a consultative process that will lead to the formulation of a youth empowerment strategy to guide the process of empowering young people.
“Our statistics show that, in the country, out of the 5,4 million young people, 2,2 million are not doing anything. They are simply idle, as they are not in education, training, or employment.
“We know the reasons for this, but now we want to know what the Government can do for you as young people. We are travelling to all provinces in the country to get input from you on what you would like to be done. Resources are available, but we lack ideas on what to do. We have never had a document that specifies what we can do with young people,” he said.
Dr Manobo urged the young people to think big and come up with ideas that will have a significant economic impact. He said this was an opportunity for them to specify what they wanted the Government to do for them. Empowering young people is crucial, Dr Manobo said, as it will ensure that a significant portion of the country’s population becomes productive.
“As young people, we want you to think big. We no longer want you to be thinking about nutrition gardens, as that is small-scale. The resources are there, and if you, as young people, decide that you want to turn Gwanda into a green belt, we can mobilise resources for that. Think outside the box and give us a mandate. What you tell us is what we will implement over the next five years,” he said.
In a speech read on her behalf by Ms Lubelihle Vundla, Matabeleland South Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mrs Lathiso Dlamini-Maseko, said the process of consulting young people demonstrates the Government’s commitment to including their voices.
“I would like to remind you all of the nation’s vision, as set out in Vision 2030, which emphasises the critical role that young people play in driving economic growth, social development, and innovation. It also recognises the need to empower young people with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities required to become active participants in the economy and society,” she said. — @DubeMatutu
