ZYCCI gives youths a voice

TZ: Can you briefly highlight what ZYCCI is set out to do?
TN: The ZYCCI is basically a youth networking platform for young people aspiring to be in business and those who are already in business.
Basically, the chamber of commerce is not structured along the traditional chambers of commerce that we know about but rather it is to provide a networking platform for the economic and social welfare of the young people anchored on basic standards of governance, paying attention to corporate governance issues, anti-corruption and issues that bring about a good business practice. The target group is young people who are between 18 and 35. We basically set out to give the young people a voice and help them tap into the different opportunities that our economy is presenting to them at the moment.

TZ: How do your activities dovetail or focus on current indigenisation and empowerment programme?
TN: We are very grateful that there is an indigenisation programme that is going on and we believe as a chamber that it is not by accident that the indigenisation programme is actually managed or is housed within the Ministry of Youth. We believe young people should be the ones or can be the primary beneficiaries of the programme as President Mugabe has always been saying that the time has come for young people to be organised so that they also tap into different opportunities that have come about in the economy because of where we are as a nation. So I believe coming together as young people in business — in agriculture, tourism, mining and service industry — is the nature and level of organisation that is being referred to.  We no longer have a situation whereby an individual youth approaches Government or other actors to air individual because ZYCCI is a collective voice whereby we can be heard. We actually can get representation in the different areas that we want to be acting in the economy. I can give you an example that the ZYCCI at the moment is part of the National Economic Consultative

Forum youth taskforce. Already we have started pushing our agenda in terms of youth participation in the mainstream economy. An excuse has been used in the past that youth enterprises are in the informal sector and now we are coming in and saying, “Who says it is the informal sector? Actually, it that is the formal sector as most of the money that is supporting this economy is coming from the sector!”

TZ: What is the role of the youth in nation building?
TN: The role of young people in nation building cannot be underestimated especially at this particular time, when over 64 percent of the population is young people. We cannot talk of nation building without considering young people. One cannot talk about posterity without considering the 64 percent of the population. So, young people have a role to play — one to safeguard what has been worked for in the past by our elders in business and to safeguard the gains of our Independence, which came with today’s opportunities. We need to safeguard those very opportunities that were fought for and there is no better time than this one. We actually have to take up the economic arms and play a major role in seeing that our nation is back on the world economy.

TZ: What is your assessment of the current policy climate in Zimbabwe?
TN: I am happy that we are having this discussion barely a week after Cabinet endorsed a new youth policy. We would want to give credit to the Minister of Youth for pushing the policy through the Cabinet. I think the new youth policy will ensure that young people get space within the economy especially regarding the quota system that will be introduced. One of the most interesting aspects regards the issue of procurement whereby 20 percent of Government procurement will be reserved for companies owned by young people. So, the policy climate in Zimbabwe is beginning to change for the better and all we need is the implementation of these policies.

TZ: There are concerns, especially in Harare, that locals and the youth especially, are being priced out of business premises. What is your take on that?
TN: It is indeed true that local businesses people are being pushed out even in such areas as the retail sector which is reserved for locals under the indigenisation laws of the country. In downtown Harare where most retailers are, we have foreigners coming and offering high rentals to property owners. I think it is high time there is co-ordination at local and central Government levels in the implementation of the law. We have a scenario whereby people who are not supposed to be getting retail licences are getting those licences and they tend to push out those who are supposed to be operating these businesses.

TZ: And what are you doing about it?
TN: I’m happy that we are not the only people who have voiced concern with the relevant authorities. Together with such groups as the AAG we continue to lobby and push the Government and the local authorities not to do anything new but to simply to obey the laws that have been set — the laws of the land. It is clear that someone somewhere is not following the law. The law should be obeyed.

TZ: The indigenisation law has a provision for the Youth Fund. Are you happy with the disbursement of the funds and the operationalisation of the vehicle?
TN:  We are grateful that Government has come up with a number of facilities that benefit young people but it is the rate of disbursement that has frustrated most young people. I will give you an example of the Kurera/Ikondla fund that is being administered by CABS. We have a number of young people, some of whom are in our database, who applied as early as last year but to date they have not received their loans. If you look at the effort that young people put into writing those proposals and opening the accounts, the processes cost money but at the end of the day young people are frustrated. We have a scenario where Government has put up these facilities but it is these banks that do the implementation that most of the time tend to frustrate the efforts of young people.

TZ: Speaking of proposals, cash flows, business plans, etc, many young people have been having problems in coming up with viable or saleable proposals. What is the problem?

TN: Most of it seems to stem from the capacity of young people. A few years ago, before all these facilities, it was believed that young people had some brilliant, bankable ideas and they could put them down and get funding. However, with these facilities we have come to the realisation, even as the Chamber, that young people at times do not have the capacity to convert a business idea into an enterprise.

TZ: Is it about our education system in Zimbabwe?
TN: I wouldn’t put blame wholly on the education system though to a certain extent I would. For example, the education system seems to be tailor-made such that when one finishes school or university they are prepared to go and look for a job from somebody. There is no emphasis on one starting their own enterprises, which means in the curriculum things like starting your own businesses, writing your own project proposals are not included in the mainstream education. We are just taught how to write a resume so that you go and ask for a job from Mr So-and-So who owns XY company. We should have had a situation where young people would be taught to start businesses in their lines of concern. That is the first level. On the other hand, I think organisations dealing with youth in enterprise have a big role to play in building the capacity of young people like we the Youth Chamber of Commerce are doing. We will soon be embarking on a programme in Manicaland and

Mashonaland East to follow up on those youth whose proposals were rejected and try to help them and have an opportunity to relook at their proposals and see

where they went wrong and assist them in different ways.

TZ: Do you see the youth venturing into major sectors of the economy such as mining?

TN: I am happy to say that there are 
number of people, even within the membership of the chamber, who have embarked in mining. I know of a good number of young people who bought mining claims last year.

However, most of these people have not been
able to utilise these claims because of the mining fees hikes that were announced by the Mines Minister recently.

As a chamber we are of the understanding that the minister said the fees would be revised to regional rates for indigenous miners but this has taken such along time and for most young people they have not been able to exploit these mining claims legally given the probative charges that have been introduced by the ministry.

In order for young people to effectively participate in important sectors such as mining there is need for the ministry to look at the reversal of the fees hikes with particular interest to special groups such as young people.
As a chamber, we demand sincerity in some of these things and in business everything is time-bound . . . Everything now is up to the ministry, whether it is going to revise the fees to regional levels.

TZ: Lastly, 15-20 years from now, do you see a new breed of the Strive Masiyiwas or Philip Chiyangwas emerging from this generation of young people, and what does it take?

TN: We will actually see better crop of business-people coming up. Better because the pace
has already been set by the Chiyangwas and Masiyiwas.
Young people have the reference point of black people who have made it irrespective of their different and sometimes difficult circumstances.
So we actually have a benchmark that So-and-So made it, but he was coming from this background and as a young person I can also do the same.

In order for us to do that we need to embrace a number of things such as the fact the era of “dealing” would deliver the day has come and gone.
This is the time for young people who are willing to build sustainable businesses and take up opportunities that Government is presenting for posterity.
I can take up a mine today but I’m not doing that for myself only; I’m doing it for future generations that may need to benefit from the different
opportunities that are being presented to us as young people.

We actually see ourselves beyond the Strive Masiyiwas and Philip Chiyangwas because those are also there to provide the mentorship that young people definitely require so that young people may not only become like them but even excel beyond the levels they have attained.