Minister of Tourism and Arts Ronald Chitotela has urged Zambian Universities to emphasize on the need to prepare graduates to start entrepreneurship instead of advancing to seek employment.
Speaking when he featured as guest lecturer for the Executive Masters of Business Administration at University of Lusaka (UNILUS) yesterday, the Minister said graduates must open their minds for new ventures including those in the tourism industry that come with good incentives from government.
Mr Chitotela stated that graduates must pay attention to Presidential pronouncements and National Budget Presentations that form government positions on where best to invest.
“It is ‘old school’ to think that investing in tourism is only for foreign financiers considering that the government has opened up opportunities for local Zambians to invest in the sector,” he said.
The Minister challenged the students to search for any Zambian that has created wealth out of earning a salary.
Mr Chitotela noted that there is a need to turn to entrepreneurship for the betterment of the economy and the Zambian people’s livelihood.
The Minister said the University of Lusaka is a true model of a Zambian business model that needs to be supported as it offers free enterprise training to students.
And UNILUS Vice-Chancellor Pinalo Chifwanakeni said the tourism sector has more to offer if young people started considering investing in it.
Professor Chifwanakeni noted that countries like Israel have benefited more and their economies have been strengthened by foreign exchange earnings by advertising religious tourism.
He said Zambians could grow more out of the various knishes of tourism offing.
Prof. Chifwanakeni emphasized on the need to look to Northern Tourism Circuit for tourism investments.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ministry of Tourism and Arts Public Relations Officer Sakabilo Kalembwe.
Tallmbanoco mwankole
It should start with u. Leave that job and go and start a business we shall see if u shall manage to buy a landcruser vx frm yo business.
The operation environment for business in Zambia is toxic. Ask entrepreneurs already in it. They will tell u wht a pain in the backside the PF government itself is.
I have been a firm supporter of this view, being an owner of various businesses in Zambia and Dubai. In fact I have even taken up apprentices to teach them and guide them on running a business. You will note from the comments above that only diasporans are negative about this message. It is because diasporans followed their ancestors slave masters to go work for them as slaves there cleaning toilets and wiping backsides. So they don’t understand entrepreneurship
Transition from studies at universities to needs to be approached with pragmatism. There is no need for preaching the virtues of entrepreneurship. First, it was o Back to the Land. It failed lamentably because preaching in itself is suspicious. It is better to lead by example. Before graduation, students need to spend one academic year doing internships to learn how their profession works on the ground. This can be compared to National Service. Government must create as many jobs as possible as long as Government does not stifle economic stability. The private sector also must create as many jobs as possible as long as it is beneficial for the private sector to do so. A society where full employment exists is not fiction. It is the proof of advanced economy status. It is a matter of the…
Your message Honourable Chitotela is timely, considering that organisations will not hire as much as they previously did prior Covid19. This is definitely the way to go henceforth. Get an education, understand how to manage a business and be self employed once you secure start up capital. Jobs are getting harder and harder to find due to stiff competition amongst graduates and of course some aged people just don’t want to retire.
You are in politics to make money.Leave the politics and set a good example by working for yourself.
This has been sung many times before but we still don’t seem to have moved for the good reason that you can’t talk entrepreneurship in an environment lacking facilities to churn out capital which is only possible with invention leading to industrialisation. What we have are schools and universities without innovation for original works other than parroting. If it’s true that some young Ugandans have made an electric bus, then those should be stories for our children not the ‘cadre’ nonsense
Minister has a point, but what do you make of situation where those who have gone into entrepreneurship are being squeezed out of their breath for marely not supporting the party in power? Examples; GBM went back to PF coz of the same, CK has complained, The Post, Johab bus services etc. Zambia will not develop with such mind set
Ala mukwai he is speaking in a vacuum. Entrepreunership cant work in Zambia because of partisan thinking. Entrepreunership works ina country that respects rights which are established in the constitution. Ask the owner of Prime TV. If you annoy the ruling party your business dies because they will cut all your business relations and you wont survive unless perhaps you have offshore investments like HH has done.
Kambwili’s businesses are floundering because he annoyed the ruling party. Dr Chilufya’s businesses on the other hand, even Tasila’s will flourish because the owners are ruling party members. Ala ma politricks
Stick to Tourism and Arts . Leave this to the Minister of Education. Thats probably whats wrong with PF. People dont want to stick to their jobs they just want to interfere in others’ jobs