Turning youth bulge into a national dividend
ZIMBABWE commemorated National Youth Day last week amid the worst conditions, by any measure, that our young people have experienced in decades.
It is easy to be overwhelmed by the negativity and yet the enormity of the challenge demands leadership, innovation and strategic thinking.
The government, business, labour unions and civil society must get together and find a durable solution to one of the most urgent challenges of our time.
Even against the prevailing situation, we must focus on turning our youth bulge into a dividend and not a time bomb.
It is a daunting task, but it can be done.
The facts are sobering and unpleasant! Eighty percent of our youth are currently unemployed.
Without purpose and meaning, our youth are turning to crime and self-medicating through drug and substance abuse.
In 2021, 60% of psychiatric admissions at local health institutions were due to drug abuse, according to the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network.
Mental health cases are up and so are people suffering from depression and anxiety.
Suicides are a matter of grave concern. Our youth are leaving in droves for menial and demeaning jobs elsewhere.
How did we get where we are? This is part of the late former President Robert Mugabe’s complicated legacy, which falls on us to course correct.
After playing a gallant role in delivering black rule, Mugabe’s decades in power delivered repression, poverty, unfreedom and economic collapse.
Corruption, poor governance and economic mismanagement have all coalesced to create a suffocating environment for the youth.
And sadly, the youth have been politically weaponised. This damage can be reversed with intentionality and clear-sighted policy actions.
We need courageous leadership that creates an enabling environment for our youth to play a meaningful role in nation building.
We must go back to the basics of nation building.
Political freedom, which was a key driver of our liberation struggle, is central to this enabling environment.
Read full article on www.newsday.co.zw https://convowithtrevor.com/ icwt-newsletter-issue-72/