Embrace Second Republic initiatives: Minister
PROGRAMMES being initiated by the Second Republic should be embraced as they are key to development and improvement of livelihoods, Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Richard Moyo, has said.
He was speaking last week during a handover of certificates to more than 50 youths who underwent a three-day training in agriculture practices at Lukosi Irrigation Scheme in St Mary’s, Hwange.
The training was organised by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement through its newly established agriculture youth desk in conjunction the ruling party, Zanu PF.
The training programme has been going on countrywide to capacitate youths and community members with skills to venture into agriculture and contribute to food security as espoused in the country’s
National Development Strategy (NDS1) and Vision 2030.
This comes as Government moves to implement a policy which seeks to allocate 10 hectares of land to youths in every district countrywide for their capacitation so that they contribute to national development.
Minister Moyo said the programme was a good initiative by Zanu PF and the Ministry of Lands.
“The Second Republic will surprise you with implementation of projects that you never expected,” he said. “There are various programmes of supporting agriculture where Agritex officers have been capacitated and today youths have been trained to venture into farming because that’s business.
“There are also several companies that President Mnangagwa has opened in Hwange where hundreds of youths are now employed. I appeal to you that whenever President Mnangagwa brings projects don’t reject them because our youths want these projects.
“Don’t be misled by activists and opposition parties who just oppose Government, but the President can never mislead you.”
Minister Moyo implored respective departments in the province to identify land near water sources to be allocated to youths to undertake various projects.
He commended the Ministry of Lands for establishing the agriculture youth desk, implementing Command Agriculture and availing motorbikes to Agritex officers, saying that was a huge achievement for the agricultural sector.
“We would want to thank President Mnangagwa and the Second Republic for the programmes that have been brought to people in just three years in office,” he said. “The devolution that we have always wanted is already happening and money is getting into Rural District Councils, so now let’s get 10ha for youths and bring banks to finance youth projects so that they get empowered.”
Minister Moyo said youths should be encouraged to register as voters in preparation for the 2023 elections.
Zanu PF director of production and labour Cde Happias Madambi, who was representing Secretary for production and labour in the Politburo, Cde Josiah Hungwe, said the objectives of the training were to enhance food security and empower youths in line with NDS1 and Vision 2030.
“Every province should have a flagship economic activity and this is what we are proposing as a party so that our people don’t continue begging,” he said. “These are the policies that we are developing for the country.”
Acting director for agriculture education in the Ministry of Lands, Mr Nickros
Kajengo, said Matabeleland North was an extremely strategic province in the country’s agriculture value chain as opposed to the traditional paradox that crop production is less doable because it is in natural region 5, which has less rainfall.
“The ministry has various programmes which all contribute to NDS1 and you can see we brought all departments of the Ministry to work from here during this training so that we apprise youths and farmers about various procedures in agriculture value chain in line with devolution,” he said.
“We have written to all provinces for our humble request for land for youths and we are appealing to you as Minister of State to implement that and avail land.”
Zanu PF Hwange District Coordinating Committee secretary for youth affairs Cde Veronica Maligo said youths in the district plan to implement agro-tourism business once the land is availed to them.