With the youth in mind
YOUNG people in Zimbabwe are vital assets to the economic, political and social development of the country. Given the opportunity, this is the generation that has the power to rejuvenate the economic trajectory and prosperity of communities across the province and the country at large.
To that end, every year since 2017, Zimbabwe recognises and celebrates the contributions made by Zimbabwe’s young people on February 21st.
This year, the National Youth Day will be commemorated on Monday.
According to the Constitution of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Youth Policy, youths are defined as people between the ages of 15 to 35 years. At over 60 percent, young people currently constitute the bulk of Zimbabwe’s population, thereby making them the chief drivers of the economy.
To succeed economically, these young people need the skills and resources to be competitive on global markets, as well as fair and equal access to economic activities and institutions.
They also need to know how to choose from the various options available.
Therefore, their right to basic education cannot be overemphasised. They also need access to relevant entrepreneurship and business training, technology and tools as they work on sharpening their life skills and prepare for integration into the economy.
Financial literacy is also crucial as it guides the young people into making good business decisions. A better understanding of options across formal, informal and self-employment is also required so that young people are aware of the various paths they can venture on.
According to the national Constitution, the State and its institutions and agencies at every level must take reasonable measures, including affirmative action, to ensure that youths have the opportunity to be represented and participate in political, social, economic and other spheres of life. They also need to be afforded opportunities for employment and other avenues to economic empowerment. On this one, Zimbabwe is also guided by the Africa Youth Charter to which it is a signatory. All stakeholders in Government, business, philanthropy, civic society and in the education sector are therefore required to collectively step up to this urgent and important challenge and do more to emancipate young people in a sustainable manner.
Millions of opportunities, both formal and informal, must be generated for young people across the province and the country at large.
Empowering them is of great importance because lack of opportunities has significant social repercussions that could not only derail the young people’s lives but that of the entire country.
Beyond the individual level, lack of opportunities can affect the prosperity, stability and equality within a society and a country’s sustainable development.
Government, on its part, has been creating economic opportunities for young people through numerous programmes and policy interventions.
These opportunities improve the capacity of youths to develop skills, access jobs, grow businesses, access finance, and expand the opportunities available to them. The Empower Bank, for example, is mandated with providing social and financial solutions to the financially excluded population, with a greater focus on the youth.
Although youths make up the majority of the population in Zimbabwe, they are largely excluded from financial services and therefore the bank seeks to address that.
President Mnangagwa’s administration has also been prioritising youths in the allocation of agricultural land as part of efforts to economically empower them, among other things. Crucially, institutionalisation of youths participation and leadership has seen young people being included at all levels of programme design, implementation and evaluation, so that they are not just beneficiaries of the national youths empowerment programmes.
With Zimbabwe’s projected demographic and economic trends, especially as the country trudges towards with Vision 2030, there is enormous promise for the transformation of young people’s livelihoods.