PRESIDENT Michael Sata will soon launch the Youth Employment Strategy which will outline how Government seeks to address the unemployment levels the country is grappling with.
Youth and Sport Minister Chishimba Kambwili said during the ZNBC Radio Two Government Forum programme in Lusaka yesterday that Government with help from the World Bank (WB), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Africa Development Bank (ADB) had completed developing 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 and it was 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 or engage all the youths in entrepreneurship activities.
Mr Kambwili said also that 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 to get employed, that are going to help the youths to be engaged in some kind of income generation.
“And this employment strategy that we have developed with the help of the ILO, the ADB and the WB will be unveiled by His Excellency the President and you know that anything that the President hasn’t unveiled, it will be very wrong for me to divulge details at the moment until the launch is done,” Mr Kambwili said.
The Minister said also Government intended to keep the youths busy through the youth resource centres Government had embarked on building and was planning to turn into fully equipped and staffed vocational training centres where they 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 recognized by TEVETA,” he said.
He cited Kafue, Luanshya, Chililabombwe, Chama, Chongwe, Mpongwe and Kalabo as areas where last year’s projects will be piloted and construction works were underway, adding that six youth resource centres in other districts would be targeted next year.
The Kafue youth resource centre is being built at a cost of K21 billion, the Luanshya one will gobble K9 billion, Chililabombwe K10.5 billion, Chama K13 billion, Chongwe K12 billion, Mpongwe K11 billion and Kalabo K23 billion.
Mr Kambwili said many youths were currently engaging in vices such as alcohol abuse and violence because they had nothing to do and thus Government’s commitment to address that problem.
And Mr Kambwili warned all District Commissioners and Council officials, among others, charged with the responsibility to oversee youth funds to desist from awarding such funds based on political affiliation.
“I want to warn all the council town clerks and all the District Commissioners that when giving forms for YDF (Youth Development Funds) do not look at political affiliation,” he said.
“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 politicize the Youth Empowerment Fund, I tell you that heads will roll,” Mr Kambwili said.
Bla bla bla bla bla, fyabufi.
My appeal to the youth is that be industrious and just work hard for yourself and your families. Dont listen to lies from politicians and wait for them to provide for you. Because they wont. Just be self-reliant.
There will always be doubting Thomases. I like this government, it is really for the neglected youth.
PF politicians in particular are hardcore lairs led by Sata inventor of ‘Donchi Kubeba’
legacy parroted by all PF members with offshoots of hackings, macheting and killings with Panga Family posterity.
Easier said than done. we will wait and see. You have spoken same message over and over for the past 2 yrs and all the yrs you were in opposition. Nothing has happened. 2016 come soon wukwapule nafuti.
Thus rubbish Kambwili, just act and show us the results ,we are tired of being told of your plans that are never implemented
every time he opens his mouth he says the same thing over and over. its now two years three months in the driving seat nothing tangible is visible on unemployment. do you even understand the magnitude of the problem and its effects kambwili?
And when will this be announced? is it during the usual ceremonies at plot …. for the appointment of same names? Just act and we shall be happy to see the results.
Point of departure; The suggested rescue plan looks seemingly okay on paper, but in what form will it be implemented? In order to avoid unforeseen pitfalls, the government should not defeat its objectives by promoting the use of yellow machines in lieu of prioritizing labour intensive methods. I will put forward workable researched approaches which Zambian politicians can adopt so as to reduce the deteriorating increasing youth unemployment. (1) Government infrastructural investments which are community driven, for example; road construction, road maintenance, rail construction, rail maintenance, the massive constructions of low cost houses which includes electricity connections and laying of several water pipes for millions of households. The Expanded Public Works Programmes and Commun
“President Sata to soon unveil the strategy to solve youths unemployment.”
You mean “the plan” – Bwhahahahahaha!!!!!
“we are going to do certain projects that are going to absorb at least a number of youths”
At least a number……. Bwhahahahahahahah!!!!
Not to mention….The Kafue youth resource centre is being built at a cost of K21 billion, the Luanshya one will gobble K9 billion, Chililabombwe K10.5 billion, Chama K13 billion, Chongwe K12 billion, Mpongwe K11 billion and Kalabo K23 billion.
So…. that’s K99.5 billion total = US$ 18.5 billion for seven training centres! Or hasn’t the Minister learned to speak in new PF money yet? At that price who cares about teaching the youth to fish…. just give ’em fish…. A LOT OF FISH!!!
In returning to workable economic rescue solutions intended to reduce the huge youth unemployment rate, the proposed Expanded Public Works Programme and the Community Public Works will work as follows: The latter is designed to offer belief training to youths in various fields such as brick laying, carpentry, cleaning services, skills in electricity connections. Youths trained in the above skills can transfer these skills to the traditional labour market after the end of the duration of employment provided by government and other contractors. The duration in most prosperous countries lasts for 6 months or 1 year. The former approach empowers the youths through the awarding of government procurement to citizens and to other multi-nationals who partner with firms formed by unemployed people
the other day it was national service compulsory for every you,now centres being built,next the president will be launching something to address youth unemployment.which is which?
Talk is cheap.
PLEASE, can Zambia’s media correct the grammatical error which in our media and hence in individuals. In English there is no such word as YOUTHS for plural. Whether plural or singular the word is simply YOUTH. Zambia has got more than 74 languages/dialects. If we can’t write English there’s no harm in writing all our newspapers in our local languages. There many more English mistakes made in our newspapers. Eg coloured people don’t mean mixed race people. It means black people which includes even the mixed race people, the aborigins, Indians, and any person of colour or pigmentation in other words. Robots do not mean traffic lights but industrial machines which in some cases may look like humans and mimicking human industrial activities driven by software application systems where it…
@peter
you are a simpleton, ignoramus person. so your job is proofreading right! but you have just demonstrated your psychological imbalances by commenting something way out of line to the topic at hand. we need people who can correct actions “NOT GRAMMAR” we have a handful of these already, and guess what? they are nothing but USELESS.
…impossible for human beings to operate say, handling dangerous chemicals, or very hot objects like those in furnaces or shelters, and many more. Traffic light are never robots. Traffic lights are traffic lights or maybe junction lights if you like.
muli chikopo naimwe here is a definition of a robot:
[S.Africa] A visual signal to control the flow of traffic at intersections. do you research before you expose you illiteracy
The Community Public Works Programmes also encompass initiatives from both government and private lenders who extend soft loans with a long-term lending to youths with approved projects such as: road constructions; road maintenance; massive constructions of low cost houses for low income earners; Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises involved mainly in the manufacturing of quality cheap building materials for domestic consumption and export, for example door frames, burglar gates, window frames, door handles, bath tubs, toilet pots, cisterns, paints, cheap strong ceiling boards. Zambia has abundant raw materials which can be utilized in the production of the above products. Private sector & government should be urged to buy and use low products so as to support local industries for employmen
The blind leading the blind to a land flowing with milk and honey with more money in pockets full of holes.
I want to warn all the council town clerks and all the District Commissioners that when giving forms for YDF (Youth Development Funds) do not look at political affiliation,” he said.
Diversification of industry must be nurtured within Zambia for graduating high school and college students to find proper jobs. With a skilled work force, textile production, commercial farming, copper diversification, and tourist attractions could easily employ thousands more with real, quality paying, sustainable employment. We dont need more government, we need more private sector development.
Creating more deputies to the 70 Ministers?
Unveil futi. I thought you had plans already that within 90 days you would solve this. Kanshi it was all blatant lies. What guarantee that this won’t be mere rhetoric
Wait a minute I thought there already was a plan before the PF got into power- 2 years down the line and you STILL don’t have a plan?