ON March 12 every year, young people in Zambia commemorate Youth Day.
This day, which is recognised by the United Nations, is dedicated to the youths with the aim of raising awareness for the valuable contribution that young people make to social and economic development in the country.
Today, the column focuses on youths after the commemoration of the 2015 Youth Day under the theme ‘The youth building a stable and sustainable future’.
Celebrations countrywide were characterised by various activities as youths and men and women, converged at various locations in recognition of the calendar day.
I am writing from a point of reflection; when all is said and done, what is the way forward in as far as bettering the plight of youths in concerned?
What sort of strategies can and have been mapped out to transform the welfare of young people who account for 82 per cent of the Zambian population?
Many youths are unemployed despite the country boasting of one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.
There is need to increase access to employment through sustainable sectors that are central in the country’s economic cycle.
Mining, tourism, construction, manufacturing and agriculture if fully exploited, have the capacity to create more jobs for the youths.
Entrepreneurs have pointed out that limited access to finance is what has stifled the growth of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.
MSMEs are the prime avenues through which youths can become self dependent and these groups should be identified and funded regularly for young people to contribute significantly to job and wealth creation in Zambia.
Government has introduced the Youth Development Fund (YDF) to compliment other similar initiatives by the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC).
The number of fresh graduates from tertiary institutions in increasing every year and latest figures indicate that there 955,000 people in formal employment countrywide.
Authorities should ensure though that these funds are distributed equally because Zambia consists of ten provinces, all with young people willing to develop in business.
The youth must also be interested to tap into Government programmes designed to improve their welfare.
Youths should develop interest in participating in initiatives such as skills training for young people that Government was implementing at district level.
The procedure to access funding under these initiatives must be made easier trough simplified methods of access to funding.
Government should put in place additional structures to enhance understanding of such funds among illiterate beneficiaries.
The selection of beneficiaries for the YDF should also be decentralised to district level through cooperatives, where beneficiaries can register and present their business proposals for funding.
Registration to the cooperative may not be limited and funding could be done in categories with various grouping accessing money on different turns.
Those managing the cooperatives will have the overall task to ensure that distribution is done of the money is done equally and on merit to deserving beneficiaries.
Equally, distributing the funds through banks would be a good move specifically to ensure accountability and an orderly mode of accessing money.
There is need to mentor and offer entrepreneurship skills to youths as they are being given these funds to ensure that they venture into the right businesses.
With the help of qualified motivational institutions, this would also ensure sustainability in the various projects which the youths would be operating.
Tertiary institutions should also introduce in their curriculum deliberate sessions where students would be trained on how to manage businesses in case they do not find fulltime employment.
The move by Government to continue increasing the youth development fund annually, clearly shows commitment in empowering and improving the welfare of unemployed young people in the country.
Government and the civil society have put in their best efforts towards improving the welfare of youths in the country but a lot more still needs to be done.
Groups like the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), the Operation Young Voters (OYV), Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) must collaborate with Government to improve the welfare of youths.
Send your comments, contributions and suggestions to jameskunda91@gmail.com or call and text to 0964317110 or 0973182006.