Zim celebrates youth empowerment
THE Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment has released the first edition of the Zimbabwe Champions and Heroes of the Economic Empowerment Revolution (ZimCHEER) magazine aimed at encouraging Zimbabwean youths to participate in the country’s affirmative action programmes.
ZimCHEER is a collaborative programme involving the ministry, the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board and Zimbabwe Youth Council.
Minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Patrick Zhuwao said ZimCHEER would bring to the fore young economic heroes that are taking centre stage in driving the agenda for “an empowered society and growing economy”.
His deputy, Cde Mathias Tongofa, said Zimbabwe has an excellent record of investing in youths.
“Thanks to the visionary leadership of His Excellency President R.G. Mugabe. Zimbabwe’s young people have been placed on an enabling environment that can nurture their innovation, enterprise and resilience for the country’s socio-economic transformation.
“This commitment by Government is recognised by the supreme law of the land, the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Section 20, which gives directive for reasonable measures, including affirmative action, which must be taken to ensure that people between the ages of 15 and 35 years are afforded opportunities for employment and other avenues to economic empowerment,” said Deputy Minister Tongofa.
The Ministry of Youth has been identifying, acknowledging and celebrating young people whose innovation, resilience and enterprise has created employment and contributed to economic growth.
This initiative, branded and marketed as ZimCHEER, has been running since August 2016 and has identified and nominated 39 385 entrepreneurs throughout the country.
These ZimCHEER entrepreneurs have created 93 692 jobs.
In order to integrate the identified ZimCHEER entrepreneurs within the country’s economic blueprint, the ministry has facilitated the participation of four companies in four Zim-Asset clusters.
The companies are Youth Feed Zimbabwe, Youth Employ Zimbabwe, Youth Shape Zimbabwe and Youth Industrialise Zimbabwe.