Youths will drive the economy
ON February 21, Zimbabwe will commemorate National Youth Day, which is reserved to celebrate young people and promote their empowerment in the governance and development of the country. The Sunday Mail’s TANYARADZWA RUSIKE (TR) spoke to Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC) acting director BRIAN NYAGWANDE
(BN) on a variety of issues related to the National Youth Day.
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TR: What programmes have you lined up to commemorate this year’s National Youth Day?
BN: We have planned for nationwide physical commemorations across all provinces under the theme “Alleviating Drug and Substance Abuse by the Youth.” We are anticipating that the main event will be graced by His Excellency, the President of Zimbabwe, Cde Mnangagwa, in Harare on February 21, 2022.
We have not been able to hold big events to celebrate this national holiday due to the Covid-19 in the past two years, so we hope that the commemorations will be more pronounced this year.
TR: What programmes are there to empower youth this year in line with the ideals of promoting young people?
BN: You may be aware that the ZYC has embarked on a journey to formalise youth business enterprises and to date we have registered more than 3 000 companies. We will continue on this trajectory since the 2030 vision of an upper middle-income economic status can only be achieved if we include the informal sector. Those registered will be referred to the youth-oriented Empower Bank and various youth desks for funding and capacity building training as well as opportunities available in each ministry for youth to benefit and be participant economic drivers.
TR: How are you relating to young people beyond cities and towns so that those in rural or marginalised areas can also participate?
BN: The ZYC is currently implementing a decentralisation programme which will see fully-fledged provincial and district offices, thereby creating spaces for youth to access our services at local levels. We also have officers seconded from our parent ministry working as provincial focal persons for ZYC in all the provinces in Zimbabwe.
The Act also provides for the establishment of groups, clubs and associations from ward level, who will then affiliate to the council. These will be our mouthpieces
at lowest levels in our bid to leave no one behind.
TR: How have you been relating with like-minded organisations outside Zimbabwe and what lessons have you learned?
BN: The ZYC is a member of SADC Youth Forum, the Pan-African Youth Union (PYU), the World Assembly of Youth (WAY), among other youth bodies where the ministries responsible for youth and national youth councils affiliate. We hold annual meetings and in some cases members of the council are elected into the executive structures of these entities.
TR: What initiatives has the ZYC introduced to enhance patriotism among young people?
BN: Developing a successful strategy for communicating with youth audiences is critical. Who are they, what do they want and how do they perceive their relationship with the Government, political life and civil society?
Commemoration of national, regional and international events like the upcoming National Youth Day and the Independence Day allow the young people to be in touch with the national ethos of the country.
Brain drain has been an issue which the Government is also seized with to the matter to the extent of having a Diaspora engagement policy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. We are happy that the youth are included even in structures of the bodies in the Diaspora, as they form the majority of people living abroad.
Digital communication tools can be powerful means for reaching a large number of young people, gathering input on youth-relevant issues and for building a more participatory political culture and ensuring they don’t lose connection to their country.
TR: As ZYC, what informs your programmes and how are you making sure they are relevant to modern-day youth?
BN: The ZYC has a fully fledged research department which produces evidence of what is obtained on the ground. We have since adopted evidence-based programming and rely more on research publications.
We also have partners like UN Agencies, youth organisations and the private sector that produces research papers which we then use to develop programmes for the youth. We are currently researching on the reason behind why youths engage in drugs which is expected to be ready by February 21.
The recommendations from the study will assist in fighting the current scourge.
Feedback from youth through our digital platforms also informs our programming as we interact with them via Facebook, Twitter, etcetera.
TR: Zimbabwe is entering into election period and the youth make up the majority of the population. Do you have any initiatives to increase the number of young people vying for office and encourage them to vote?
BN: As an institution mandated to ensure effective participation of youth in national development processes, we are encouraging the youth to register to vote as well as aspire for office. We have engaged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to carry out various activities, including voter education and active participation of young people to be in office.
We have also called upon various youth groups to carry out campaigns encouraging youth to register to vote. We are also working on having an omnibus National Youth Act, an instrument that will assist in ensuring youth participation and empowerment is legislated.
TR: Your board is not yet fully constituted, how has the current structure affected your operations?
BN: The Zimbabwe Youth Council Act provides a two-pronged way in creating the 15-member board. The first leg is through appointing eight members by the minister in consultation with the President; the second leg is through election of seven members from registered compliant youth associations.
The gap created by the absence of a board has resulted in the process taking too long. We appreciate the steps being made to have a fully established board by the principals. The current structure leaves some governance gaps, though it doesn’t affect the day-to-day operations of the council since all approvals are currently being done by the Permanent Secretary and the minister.
TR: What have you done to improve the efficiency and corporate governance at the ZYC?
BN: The gap in corporate governance has been necessitated by the absence of the Zimbabwe Youth Council board for the past six years. The last board was in place in 2016.
The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation is seized with putting the board in place to strengthen corporate governance.
The eight members elected by the minister have already been helping with ensuring that the council adheres to good corporate governance. A lot has improved.