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GOVERNMENT has sealed a US$6.9 million financial deal to create 3,000 decent jobs for youths and improve food security through the development of sustainable livelihoods in rural areas, President Michael Sata has said.
The programme is in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
Mr Sata said the programme also sought to improve the financial performance of at least 5,000 youth-managed rural enterprises as well as boost food security for the local population by way of increasing the volume of production of soya beans.
“Furthermore, our Government in partnership with ILO, FAO and NEPAD is implementing the decent jobs for youths and improved food security through development of sustainable livelihoods in rural areas programme which is expected to create 3,000 new jobs among young women and men over a period of 48 months and with a budget of $6.9 million,” he said.
President Sata posted on his Facebook wall yesterday saying the programme would be operated over a four-year period.
Sharing Government’s achievements and the way forward to empower the youth, Mr Sata announced during the official opening of the third Session of the 11th National Assembly Government’s plans to construct Youth Vocational Training Centers across the country.
In this vein, the President provided a status report indicating that five youth resource centres were in the process of being establishment, an exercise which would cost K86.4million.
In Chongwe, Chiyota Youth Resource Centre was being developed at a cost of K12 million with 99 per cent of the works being carried out to date.
Chililabombwe Youth Resource Centre on the Copperbelt, was also being developed at a cost of K10.5 million with 80 per cent of the works being undertaken so far.
Kwilimuna Youth Resource Centre had a budget cost of K11.6 million and the works were also in progress while the Kalabo Youth Resource Centre had gobbled K23.9 million with works in progress and the Kafue Youth Resource Centre was costing K29.6 million and the project was in the process of awarding a tender.
He added that Government had so far disbursed loans and grants totaling K23.1 million since 2012 under the Youth Development Fund and this helped create more than 1,039 employment opportunities for young entrepreneurs.
“This is aimed at supporting the growth of sustainable youth led SMEs (Small and Medium Entrepreneurships) into the private sector for wealth and employment creation,” Mr Sata said.
