President Hakainde Hichilema has assured the youths in Zambia that the government is committed to providing substantial spaces of full youth participation in the country’s socio and economic, as well as leadership endeavours.
President Hichilema noted that young people voted for change in the August 2021 elections which the government is determined to deliver to them.
The Head of State said this in Lusaka today in a speech delivered for him by Vice President Mutale Nalumango during the 2022 Youth Indaba held under the theme “increasing youth participation in all levels of national development” ahead of this year’s youth day celebrations.
He explained that the new dawn government will deliver all promises made to the youths.
President Hichilema further revealed that the government will revise the existing National Youth Policy of 2015 and its implementation plan so that it reflects the country’s socio-economic transformation agenda of having a prosperous Zambia with equal opportunities across ethnic, religious and gender considerations in a free democratic society.
The Head of State said this is consistent with the drive of attaining Zambia’s Vision 2030 agenda and leaving no one behind.
He also revealed that the government is in the process of developing a National Youth Development Strategy that will provide further guidance towards youth empowerment.
President Hichilema explained that the strategy will ensure integrated and coordinated mechanisms, a comprehensive programme strategy, inclusive processes and promote bottom-up youth empowerment programmes among other youth empowerment programmes.
“Government, with support from United Nations Agencies, both bilateral and multilateral companies, civil society organisations and the private sector will be placing youth volunteers and interns in strategic sectors of the economy to enhance service delivery especially to the youth,” he said.
The Head of State added that the strategy is expected to create over two million job opportunities to the youths of Zambia over the foreseeable future.
The President has since urged the youth to aggressively seek out and explore the many opportunities that the government is putting in place for them.
And Mr. Hichilema has urged citizens to observe and enforce the national values and principals and make Zambia a better place.
Tomorrow, the President will deliver a speech on the progress the government has made in implementing national values and principals in Parliament.
Speaking at the same event, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Coumba Mar Gadio, reaffirmed the UN’s support to the government in advancing its national priority of enhancing youth participation that creates a transformational impact for in-country Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) acceleration.
Ms. Mar Gadio noted that the UN has mobilized millions of Kwacha to support the government to operationalise and implement its youth development strategy roadmap.
And Minister of Youth, Sport and Art, Elvis Nkandu revealed that the Indaba has attracted over 700 youths drawn from all the 156 parliamentary constituencies in Zambia.
Mr. Nkandu said youths play a vital role in the development of any nation.
He said his ministry will continue to offer empowerment programmes to uplift the lives of young people in the country.
Mr. Nkandu further disclosed that his ministry has made tremendous improvement in persuading youths to pay back the loans obtained for various initiatives and has so far recovered K20 million.
Few months in office and you are already doing control damage moves like reassuring. A sign of lack of capacity to deliver. We warned the disgruntled youth, they didn’t listen. Astrict father who tries to prepare you for the tough world is better than one who showers you with lies and false hopes
In PF the only youths who benefited were PF cadres. If you are not a PF cadre then no empowerment and benefit for you. Some cadres were not true lovers of PF, in fact some PF cadres voted against PF because all they wanted was money at that time but then voted for the best Party to the Country. Hate me or Love me, I go…………