Beyond Funding: Why Youth Empowerment Programs Underperform in Zambia

By Dr Sidney Kawimbe

Youth empowerment remains one of Zambia’s most talked-about development priorities. Over the years, government institutions and civil society organizations have rolled out numerous initiatives aimed at tackling youth unemployment, poverty, and exclusion. From financial support schemes to skills training and entrepreneurship programs, the country appears well-resourced on paper. Yet, for many young Zambians, the promised transformation has remained elusive. However, beneath the abundance of policies and programs lies a growing disconnect between intention and impact. Many youth empowerment schemes have struggled to translate funding and training into sustainable jobs or businesses. Structural weaknesses, poor implementation, and limited accountability have undermined their effectiveness. As a result, these initiatives often fall short of addressing the real economic challenges facing young Zambians. In this disposition, the author attempts to diagnose the root cause of this disconnect and makes suggestions on how monstrous youth unemployment may be approached.

A Landscape Crowded with Programs

The Zambian government has introduced several flagship initiatives targeting young people. The Youth Empowerment Fund, administered through the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, was designed to support youth-led enterprises with startup capital. For instance, the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) has provided loans and grants to youth and women entrepreneurs, with the aim of increasing citizen participation in the economy. The fuel tanker youth empowerment scheme, the bus empowerment scheme as well as the earth moving equipment scheme, launched in 2021 to empower youth. At the local level, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) includes a youth and community empowerment component, supporting cooperatives, skills training, and small-scale projects. The author was privileged to participate in the research commissioned by an international development NGO on the impact of CDF on youth in selected constituencies. The finding from that study highlighted rampant abuse of a well-intended program. Some TEVET institutions were found to offer heavy duty equipment maintenance courses while same training institutions do not even have a prototype of the machines. Even after undergoing theoretical aspects of the program, these “graduates” return to their homes in areas where there are no job opportunities in heavy duty equipment maintenance. They instead revert to their traditional vocation of farming relying on FISP program. In addition, institutions such as TEVETA (Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority) continue to promote skills development through vocational training centres across the country.
Civil society have also played a significant role. Organizations such as Restless Development Zambia, Youth Alive Zambia, Caritas Zambia, and Plan International have implemented programs focusing on leadership development, entrepreneurship, health awareness, and livelihoods. International initiatives like the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) have further provided leadership and entrepreneurship training opportunities for Zambian youth. Despite this wide range of interventions, the overall impact has fallen short of expectations.

When Funding Comes Before Skills

One of the most common weaknesses across both government and NGO-led initiatives is the overemphasis on funding at the expense of capacity building. Many youth beneficiaries receive grants or loans without adequate preparation in business planning, financial management, or market access. As a result, youth-run projects often collapse once initial funds are exhausted. While programs such as CEEC and the Youth Empowerment Fund include training components, these are often short-term and insufficient to prepare young entrepreneurs for Zambia’s challenging business environment.

Access, Awareness, and Exclusion

Another major challenge is limited access to information. Many young people—especially in rural areas—are unaware of available empowerment programs or struggle to understand complex application processes. Online applications, strict documentation requirements, and short deadlines tend to exclude the most vulnerable youths, particularly those with limited education or internet access. Consequently, empowerment initiatives frequently benefit a small group of urban, well-informed, or politically connected individuals, leaving out the majority who need support the most.

Politics and Patronage
Political interference continues to undermine the credibility of some youth empowerment programs. Allegations of favoritism in the allocation of funds, especially under government-backed initiatives, have damaged trust. When empowerment programs are perceived as political tools rather than development instruments, genuine impact becomes secondary to short-term political gains. This perception discourages participation and weakens accountability, as beneficiaries may feel obligated to political actors rather than focused on building sustainable livelihoods.

A Weak Economic Absorption Capacity

Even when youth acquire skills or startup capital, Zambia’s broader economic structure presents another barrier. Limited industrial growth, high informality, and few employment opportunities mean that many empowered youths struggle to find viable markets or stable jobs. Programs that are not aligned with national industrial, agricultural, and digital development strategies are unlikely to achieve lasting success.

Poor Monitoring and Follow-Up
Monitoring and evaluation remain weak across many empowerment initiatives. Once funding is disbursed or training completed, follow-up support such as mentorship, coaching, and business incubation is often absent. Without guidance and accountability, many young people are left to navigate complex economic realities on their own. Civil society programs tend to perform better in mentorship and follow-up, but they are often limited in scale and sustainability due to donor dependency.

Rethinking Youth Empowerment in Zambia

The underperformance of youth empowerment programs in Zambia is not due to a lack of initiatives or funding, but rather how these interventions are designed and implemented. Moving forward, empowerment must go beyond disbursement of funds to include long-term skills development, mentorship, transparency, and alignment with economic opportunities. Stronger partnerships between government, the private sector, educational institutions, and civil society are essential. Youth empowerment should be measured not by the number of programs launched, but by sustainable jobs created, businesses that survive, and young people who are meaningfully integrated into the economy. Until Zambia addresses these structural and implementation challenges, youth empowerment will remain a well-funded promise with limited results, far from the transformative force the country urgently needs.

Conclusion
Although Zambia has implemented a wide range of youth empowerment initiatives through both government and civil society, their overall effectiveness has remained limited. The main challenges stem from weak program design, inadequate skills development, limited transparency, political influence, and poor integration with the country’s economic structure. Many initiatives focus heavily on financial support while neglecting long-term capacity building and sustained support. As a result, the well-intended outcomes of reducing youth unemployment and fostering economic independence have not been fully realized. To achieve meaningful and lasting impact, youth empowerment efforts in Zambia must adopt a more holistic, coordinated, and youth-centered approach that prioritizes skills, accountability, and economic relevance.

Recommendations
1. Adopt a Holistic Empowerment Model:
Youth empowerment programs should balance financial assistance with structured training in entrepreneurship, financial management, and practical skills to improve sustainability and long-term success.
2. Enhance Governance and Oversight Mechanisms:
Stronger accountability systems, transparent selection processes, and independent monitoring should be introduced to minimize political interference and ensure fair distribution of resources.
3. Increase Inclusivity and Outreach:
Program information and application procedures should be simplified and disseminated widely, especially in rural and underserved areas, to allow equitable participation by all eligible youths.
4. Institutionalize Mentorship and Post-Funding Support:
Continuous mentorship, coaching, and technical assistance should be embedded within empowerment initiatives to support beneficiaries beyond initial funding stages.
5. Align Empowerment Initiatives with Economic Opportunities:
Youth programs should be strategically linked to high-growth sectors and national development priorities to improve job creation, market access, and overall economic integration.

The Author is a senior lecturer in Business