THE STATE OF THE YOUTH IN ZAMBIA SPELLS A BLEAK FUTURE IF IGNORED
Over and above 60% of Zambia’s population is made up of the youth majority of whom are hard hit with high poverty levels, high cost of living and alarming levels of unemployment.
With the announcement by ZESCO that the country will be subjected to a daily 8 hour load shedding majority youths who are in the business of barbershop, printing, salons ,tailoring ,welding ,business cafes,restuarnts,chicken rearing, to mention but a few will further plunge into deep waters of poverty, and high cost of living. This socio-economic predicament will breed vices such as alcohol abuse, drug abuse, crime, teenage pregnancies and prostitution as an escape and way to cope with the suffering.
One Vision Alliance strongly believes that majority of the youth have been socially, economically and even politically alienated from national economic and political development main stream system and programs.
The youths in are not fully and
Zambia actively participating in the democratic processes as well as decision making in governance matters as high levels of poverty, high cost of living and high levels of unemployment has reduced the majority youths to simply find ways and means of survival.
The mentality of survival inhibits the vast potential of the youth as they are left with no choice but to fall for anything as long as it can bring food ,rent and transport on the table.
The female youths who are students in tertiary education have become victims of this sad state of affairs as many are forced to go into prostitution just to cope with the harsh economic hardships. This situation is making the youths who are supposedly to be the most productive critical component of any properly set socio-economic system useless in the equation and will spell doom for the country as majority youths are sliding into junkies and cannot take up the mantle of leadership.
Youths have no reason to celebrate the youth day with their heads held high as there is no dignity in high levels of poverty that the majority youths have been subjected due to leadership that has deliberately neglected the youths and relegated them to mere political tools of political violence, political battles and campaign foot soldiers.
The Zambian youth do all the donkey work of fighting for political power and even lose lives in the process but when it comes to sharing positions in decision making and getting government contracts the youth as usual are reduced to beggars and given money to buy alcohol so as to build a cadre of youth junkies to be used for political expedience .
One Vision Alliance implores all youths in the country to get involved in matters of national interest ,get organized and hold those managing public affairs and public resources accountable for their actions which are not in the interest of nation.
The government should promptly come up with measures that will cushion the plight of the youths in the wake of load shedding that will negatively affect all the youths in various businesses.