Youths urged to actively participate in decision making

Plan International Zambia has called on Zambian youth to actively participate in national decision-making processes rather than remaining passive observers in the country’s development agenda.

Plan International Zambia Country Director, Antoinette Ngoma, has emphasised that young people represent a critical demographic for Zambia’s progress and must ensure their perspectives are integrated into key policy and governance discussions.

She has further urged the youth to deliberately position themselves as equal partners in development, moving beyond being perceived as mere endorsers of decisions made by others.

“So there has to be a deliberate attempt by young people to be heard and to step up and be included in those spaces. I do acknowledge it may not be easy because a lot of these civic spaces may not be necessarily designed for young people,” Ms Ngoma states.

 Ms Ngoma was speaking on the sidelines of a Plan International Zambia-organised Forum themed “Youth and Partner Engagement,” which brought together representatives from various youth organisations to streamline youth participation in key developmental agendas.

She further called on duty-bearers to adopt inclusive approaches in youth engagement, noting that young people constitute the majority of Zambia’s population and their voices therefore carry significant weight.

“As we talk about youth participation especially in this election period, one of the key issues we want to address is tokenism and how we can, as much as possible, move away from tokenistic approaches to working with young people,” she added.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has described the 20 percent youth allocation under both the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and the Citizens’ Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) as a progressive step.

UNFPA Gender and Youth Programme Officer, Paul Daka, noted that the allocation offers young people an opportunity for economic participation.

“Probably it’s not enough, but we need to start somewhere. I think for a start, 20 percent could look good, but if it’s actually implemented, it would go a long way in building the capacities of young people and enabling them to demonstrate their potential,” Mr Daka said.

He expressed hope that government would consider increasing the allocation beyond 20 percent to optimise young people’s investment capabilities.

And, Here to Love Executive Director, Melody Chileshe, encouraged the youths in start-up organisations to adopt an open-minded approach and learn from experts in their respective fields.

She highlighted the various opportunities and policy environments available, urging young people to deliberately seek out opportunities and position themselves in spaces where they can access them.