The government through the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts has launched the youth empowerment scheme targeting 2,000 youth across the country.
Minister of youth, sport, and arts Elvis Nkandu launched the empowerment scheme in Ndola at levy Mwanawasa stadium.
Nr Nkandu said 360 young vulnerable people in the Copperbelt Province will benefit from the empowerment scheme worth four hundred thousand kwacha.
Mr Nkandu said this will also provide economic empowerment to the vulnerable youths at household level.
“This National Youth Scheme program is targeting 360 youths accross the Copperbelt Province and over 2,000 youths country wide,” he said.
Mr Nkandu said youths are being given an opportunity through the scheme so that they contribute to the nation’s development.
He said the Ministry has put up strict modalities to ensure that the program is implemented effectively with no segregation and does not turn into a political program.
“This program is looking at the less privileged youths as the new dawn adminstration wants them to establish businesses to sustain themselves and their families.
And this is a grant which will be given to the youths for free and they will not pay back. In the 2022 budget we have even increased the sponsorship,” he said.
He said the program will be inclusive as it will even include ex- convicts to enable them restart their lives.
Mr Nkandu said the new dawn adminstration is aware that youths in rural areas have been neglected hence the reason the government has come up with the initiative to help such youths.
“We have also bought 50 more tanker trucks to be distributed in all the 10 provinces of our country that’s why we are urging youths to form cooperatives of about 30 per group,” he said.
He added government will continue procuring more tanker trucks so that the oil industry is dominated by the indigenous Zambians.
Copperbelt Province Minister Elisha Matambo observed that the program will help eradicate poverty among the youths.
He said the province is the first to launch the empowerment scheme and has urged youths to use it prudently.
Mr Matambo said youths should come up with innovative ideas and establish businesses which will help them earn a living.
He said the new dawn attached great importance to the welfare of the youths in the country as they contributed immensely to the UPND forming government.
Mr Matambo said the scheme will carter for all the youths across the province despite their political affiliations.
And Minister of Transport and Logistics Frank Tayali said the new dawn adminstration has pledged commitment to ensure that Zambians benefit from it’s natural resources.
Mr. Tayali who is also Ndola Central Member of parliament has since urged young people to support Government programs by not mismanaging what they get from the national youth scheme.
The aliment of free cash handouts does not work………
Better to provide tailored mentoring and training then after they qualify , be eligible for grants……
This Congolese has left Chisokone market but Chisokone market hasn’t left him….. not everyone is good at business. Most people want employment… to work for someone. That money which apart from being distributed on discriminatory basis will just be misused.
2000 is too little boss. atleast attempt a ka Independence stadium kamo, try to assist 30,000 youths, but empower them with skills, not hand outs
has left Chisokone market but Chisokone market hasn’t left him
March 31, 2021
President Lungu on youth day officiated at the handed over of 50 fuel tankers to youth cooperatives across the country.
A FEW MONTHS LATER
December 12, 2021
Mr Nkandu said the new dawn adminstration is aware that youths in rural areas have been neglected hence the reason the government has come up with the initiative to help such youths.
“We have also bought 50 more tanker trucks to be distributed in all the 10 provinces of our country that’s why we are urging youths to form cooperatives
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
Give me you website o link to try this pls
I’m with my bro- numbers are not encouraging,,, the program should have aimed at targeting more than 30,000 or above … otherwise the 2000 can just be recruited into police or the army
This news might be fake,I’m not sure that the government can give k 1,112 to a single youth n think they have done something,thus total lie. Can u divide k400,000 by 360which is the number of youths,u find that this z change which one has to use to pay a rent of k250, meal mill k130, cooking oil k150,n relish money z finished. We re not poor people,we re reach only that our reaches re being chewed by certain group of people so called leaders. Just divides half of money which was stolen by faith to us zambian youths that we prosper with it not that little money u want to shed the pic of employment please.
This is change that isn’t change. What Elvis Nkandu has done is what Kambwili did and the results were disastrous. They’re not taking us anywhere. As long as they’re not working through established financial institutions there’ll be favoritism and a lack of accountability. That’s how CEEC and DBZ have failed, apart from a larger % of the funds going into admin expenses. Work through banks because they’ll not assess applicants according to where they come from. Besides banks don’t a Board & Directory just manage empowerment funds. How much do we spend to maintain those bosses at CEEC? If Bally has no plans we’re ready to help him. 400,000 divided by 360 is a paltry 1,100, is this what Bally said will fix youth unemployment? SHAME!
OUT OF 2.8m who voted for them, 2000 is an insult in their face. Did they have plans for the youths? In fact this looks like a PF way of doing things
This program or scheme is bound to fail in the sense that the beneficiaries are are supposed to be trained into basic business management skills in order to change their mind sets. Give out free money to the youth for free without being required to pay back is a good as throwing money in a bottomless storm drainage. The UPND through the Ministry of Youth and Sport should learn the lessons from the PF’s failed youth empowerment schemes. We had Higger Buses and other schemes which never saw the next day. Even selection of the so called vulnerable youths will end up in the UPND cadres because the district officials will be biased we are talking from experience. Leaving out our own cadres will be like trying to grow hair on an egg. The best way is to disburse fund through NATSAVE on…