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Prosper Ndlovu Senior Reporter
BULAWAYO youths met the Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Cde Francis Nhema on Friday and submitted their proposals on how they wanted to participate in the ongoing indigenisation programme.In their presentations during a well attended youth empowerment consultative workshop at the Bulawayo Polytechnic, youth representatives from different economic sectors said they were capable of expanding Bulawayo’s economy and urged the Government to create an enabling environment for them to tap the existing opportunities.
Mr Sibanesezwe Malunga from Youth in Mining said there were many mining experts in Matabeleland region who did not have capital to buy equipment and set up new mining firms.
Youths in tourism said they were keen to set up new tour operations that would develop tourism and promote tourism in Bulawayo and surrounding tourist attraction sites such as Old Bulawayo and Matopos.
They sought Government assistance in getting licences and funding to set up their businesses. Mr Allen Maunga, from the agricultural sector, said opportunities were many for the youth in farming and urged the Government to allocate land to the youths.
Representing youths in the arts and culture sector, Mr Tswarello Mathobe called for the setting up of arts and culture colleges and resuscitation of youth clubs.
He said Bulawayo has the potential to create many jobs through creating a vibrant cultural economy given the talent in its youths and urged Government to engage banks to avail funding for artists.
Youths living with disabilities demanded inclusion in all sectors of the economy and challenged the Government to facilitate youths with disabilities to get education and enhance their participation in key decision making processes.
Mr Vusa Siziba from the Council for Voluntary Youth Service said the Government should engage banks to relax conditions to lend for youth projects saying the application process was cumbersome.
Young women complained that the Government was not doing enough to avail information on the indigenisation programme and demanded inclusion in key decision making and equal coverage in the media.
Youths in business said they were working on establishing new manufacturing firms and assisting existing ones to improve their marketing strategies.
They complained that statutory bodies such as Zimra were suffocating their efforts especially when they imported equipment and urged Government to make special arrangements by subsidising costs of procurement machinery.
Others complained over lack of employment and urged the Government to expedite revival of Bulawayo industries to create jobs.
In his response, Cde Nhema, who was accompanied by his deputy Cde Mathias Tongofa, commended the youths for being proactive and urged them to be assertive in fighting for their space in a competitive economic environment.
He said the youth should develop positive attitudes and refuse to accept the notion that Matabeleland was marginalised and that things were deliberately meant to favour people from other regions.
“I want you to take your place and be in charge. Be the gatekeepers of this city and together we can change Bulawayo.
“The future of this city is in your hands and there is no need for you to desert it and go to other regions or countries. Change will come even if we are few and spread to cover the whole city,” said Cde Nhema.
“You need to develop a positive attitude and desist from the habit of always complaining. Go to Harare and demand what is yours in a polite and effective manner always maintaining discipline, vision and focus. Rebrand Bulawayo into a city of hope.”
Cde Nhema challenged Bulawayo youths to be proud of their country and work closely with Government to identify home grown solutions to challenges they were facing instead of running away to South Africa.
He said his ministry would facilitate training programmes on business management and designing business project proposals to ensure that youths access loans.
Cde Nhema said the revival of Bulawayo companies was being treated as a national priority by all ministries and called on all stakeholders to be part of that holistic framework.
He said the Government was looking at every legal instrument related to indigenisation to ensure that every Zimbabwean benefits from the empowerment drive.
The meeting resolved that youths in the city would form sporting clubs in all the 29 wards where they would meet and map strategies of developing themselves.
The youth also said they would organise an exhibition sometime next year, where they would showcase their talent and businesses and also hold an arts and culture festival.
Speaking at the same occasion the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs in Bulawayo, Cde Nomthandazo Eunice Moyo pledged to work with the youth in all their programmes and urged them to uphold discipline and integrity.
She also called for the resuscitation of youth clubs in the city and urged Cde Nhema to come up with mechanisms of ensuring that closed firms and disused buildings in the city centre were utilised for the benefit of the economy.
The meeting was also attended by senior ministry officials from the region and directors from Harare.
Online Reporter