By MILDRED KATONGO  –

GOVERNMENT has spent more than K400,000 on the rehabilitation of the Dongwe Youth Skills Centre in Kalulushi District.
The youth centre that was in a dilapidated state has been refurbished to meet the standards of a training centre.
Kalulushi Mayor Benard Mumba said the skills centre was refurbished using money from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Bishop Mumba said the rehabilitation of the skills centre would give young people in the district an opportunity to gain skills in various fields.
“We have no doubt that with the rehabilitation of the youth skills centre, CDF allocation to the district has been put to good use.
He said all was set and that the youth centre was ready to be commissioned and start operating.
“We are just waiting to have a meeting with stakeholders and the area Member of Parliament to decide on the day when we can commission and start training our young people,” he said.
Bishop Mumba said the skills to be offered would include carpentry, tailoring and designing, catering, computer lessons, and brick-laying.
These would help prevent the youth from engaging in social vices such as drug abuse that were detrimental to their lives.
Bishop Mumba said young people in the area had been patronising bars because they do not have productive activities to keep them busy.
Gift Moono, a youth, expressed happiness over the rehabilitation of the skills centre and called on Government to quickly commission the facility so that youths could start utilising it.