Youth employment strategy ready

GOVERNMENT has finalised the Youth Employment Strategy which will outline how it seeks to address unemployment in the country.

Youth and Sport Minister Chishimba Kambwili said during the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation Radio 2 Government Forum programme in Lusaka on Thursday that the Government, with help from the World Bank, International Labour Organisation, (ILO) and Africa Development Bank (ADB) had developed the Youth Employment Strategy.

Mr Kambwili assured that once President Sata launched the strategy, many youths would be kept busy as it was embracing both uneducated and educated youths in promoting job creation and
entrepreneurship.

“Let me just tell you what we have done in terms of youth employment. Between now and the end of December, I think His Excellency the President is going to unveil the employment strategy for youths that we have developed as PF (Patriotic Front) where we are going to do certain projects that are going to absorb at least a number of youths,” he said.

Mr Kambwili, however, said not all youths would be absorbed as it was not possible to employ all the youths in entrepreneurship activities.

He also said youth unemployment was not peculiar to Zambia as it was a global problem and was largely compounded by economic factors, with developing countries being the worst hit.

“So the issue of youth unemployment is not peculiar to Zambia, but I think by and large as Government we have the responsibility to come up with programmes that are going to help the youths get employed,” Mr Kambwili said.

The minister also said youths would be kept busy through the youth resource centres Government had set out to build.

The centres would be turned into fully equipped and staffed vocational training centres where the youths would be trained in various skills for self-sustainability and employment.

“We want to make these skills training centres fully-fledged colleges where one can go to get a certificate that is recognised by TEVETA,” he said.

And Mr Kambwili warned all district commissioners and council officials charged with the responsibility to oversee youth funds to desist from awarding such funds on political lines.

“This money is not for political patronage. This money is [meant] to empower the youths of this country, so if there are any officials that are trying to politicise the Youth Empowerment Fund, I tell you that heads will roll,” he said.

SOURCE: Times of Zambia