Create youth fund agency- PNU
GOVERNMENT must consider creating a specific agency to handle the Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF), the Party for National Unity (PNU) has demanded.
In an interview in Lusaka, PNU president Highvie Hamududu said the youth, majority of Zambia’s population, did not have access to finance to enable them engage in various productive ventures
“The Youth Empowerment Fund is not reaching the youth. The youth are energetic and they have a lot of plans that they can implement especially in villages. The problem is that the Youth Empowerment Fund is being administered by the Ministry of Youth and Sport but the ministry cannot administer a Fund.
“That Youth Empowerment Fund must be given an agency like the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission and put branches in all districts so that this Fund is nearer to the youth. Put the money where it matters most because over 50 percent of our population are youths who are unemployed,” Mr. Hamududu said.
He said youth unemployment was a time bomb and government must take urgent steps to ensure young people had access to capital for micro projects.
“It can be done and I expected government to allocate about K1 billion for youth empowerment projects in the 2018 national budget. The youth unemployment may lead to social implosion where the country cane have serious problems created by so many unemployed and frustrated youths,” he said.
Mr. Hamududu also called on the government to help local entrepreneurs have access to market for their products as opposed to procuring goods, which were also manufactured locally, from foreign entities.
“We have a lot of entrepreneurs in various business sectors like construction, metal fabrication, carpentry and mechanics but they have no access to viable market because government is buying elsewhere. Government must empower local people by buying their products so that money flows in our communities.
“This is one way of ensuring an inclusive economic system. It can be done even with a little budget and government must up its game by utilising available innovation.
“Let’s get down to business because this multiparty system was not brought just for politicking. Cheap politicking is like madness and we should deal with issues. We as PNU want a big empowerment fund for both the youth and women run by a credible government agency and not the ministry.”