The Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts has emphasised the need to invest in young people, describing them as a vital force in Zambia’s national development agenda.
Speaking at the launch of the Human Capital Insights Report, organised by Zanga African Metrics in partnership with BongHive Consult in Lusaka, Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts Principal, for Creative Arts Industries and Research Development, Nicholas Goma, said the creative arts and sports sectors possess enormous potential to stimulate economic growth.
Mr Goma noted that strengthening human capital especially among young people is essential for the country’s long-term development and prosperity, adding that the launch of the data report by Zanga African Metrics will enhance the caliber of people, especially young ones.
He added that youths remain one of Zambia’s greatest national assets because of their active participation in different sectors of the economy and society.
He further praised Zanga African Metrics and BongHive Consult for introducing and launching the report, saying it is expected to spark discussion on how Zambia and Africa can better develop and utilise human capital.
Mr Goma observed that the report comes at an important time as it addresses issues such as leadership, entrepreneurship, workplace culture, business performance and human capital development among others.
“The interest of the Ministry is to see this report by Zanga in collaboration with BongHive Consult to add particular value in the development pathways of our young people.
“Our mandate is directly connected to youth empowerment, skills development in the areas of sports and creative Arts enterprises, leadership participation and creation of opportunities for young people to contribute meaningfully to national development,” he said.
He added that the information contained in the report will serve as a useful resource in shaping deliberate strategies aimed at preparing young people for leadership, entrepreneurship and social contribution.
Mr Goma also encouraged parents and guardians to nurture children’s talents, creativity and skills from an early age.
Meanwhile, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zanga African Metrics, Nankhonde Kasonde, said the organisation supports companies and institutions in recognising employees as central to productivity and profitability.
Ms Kasonde explained that the organisation’s data tools have been utilised in 20 African countries across sectors such as mining, aviation and telecommunications.
“This report has never existed before globally, there is no report that publishes data on human capital competencies with a population that has a majority of Africa’s face, human capital development is critical for Zambia and Africa at large, hence this report launch,” she said.
And Simunza Muyangana, co-founder and Director of Entrepreneurship at BongHive Consult, said people are the backbone of every economy and that investing in human capital is necessary for organisations to succeed.
Mr Muyangana said the newly launched report serves as a reminder to organisations and industry leaders that people are the key drivers of value creation and productivity.
