It is that
time of the year again when the Zambian citizens commemorate a very important
day in the Country’s calendar of events, Youth day! This is a extremely important day because
over the years Zambians youth have made not only made
significant contributions at various strata of human endeavour in the country.
But again, it is the same youths who over several years have been affected by
many socio-political and economic changes. These changes have a direct effect
on every age group. However, the most vulnerable group is the youth who remain
at the mercy of various societal changes.
One thing that amazes me is the determination and zeal most Zambian
youth exhibit to contribute to the development of our beloved country. Surely, a segment of the population that
shows such patriotism and willingness to be a part of the national agenda
deserves praise. It is true that as a population, they can never be homogeneous
and so are their problems.
Before going further to discuss this important
matter in the Zambian context, it should be acknowledged that the fundamental
challenge faced by our youth is unemployment. A critical element of the current job crisis is the
struggle of young people to enter in the labour market. I recently came across some interesting
statistics on youth unemployment in not only in Africa and the World at large. According to the International Labour
Organisation (ILO) estimates, of the total 200 million unemployed worldwide, 75
million or around 40 per cent are young people.
Young people are three times
more likely than adults to be out of a job. For those who have a job, the
quality of the job is another issue. If the estimated 152 million young people
living on less than US$1, 25 per day were added, the number of youth in
extremely vulnerable situation would be 225 million. Youth unemployment is
reaching unprecedented proportions globally. Between 2007 and 2010, youth
unemployment increased by 5, 1 million and in 2012, four out of ten unemployed
was a young woman or man according to the ILO report. These global
trends clearly show that the problem of unemployment transcends boarders and
therefore should be used by all stakeholders with renewed sense of urgency for
action on youth unemployment.
Again the other
statistics I came across indicated that about 7, 2 percent of Africa’s youths
are unemployed and an additional 46, 9 percent are underemployed or inactive
(ILO). The United Nations further estimates that of the world’s one billion youths,
about 850 million of them live in developing countries like Zambia. Those who
were present at the freedom statue during last year’s Youth day celebrations
will recall that His Excellency the President Micheal Chilufya Sata did direct the Minister of Youth and Sport
Honourable Chishimba Kambwili come up
with an youth employment action plan that will help reduce unemployment among
the Zambian youth. One year down the line, it is clear that the Minister
appears to have heed to the directive as seen from his commitment to ensuring
that the shocks of youth unemployment are mitigated through systematic accessing funds under the youth
empowerment fund.
This should be about one of the many mitigation measures that
should be stepped up to sure more young people escape the pangs of unemployment
crisis. However, young people who access these funds should show resolve and
ensure that they put the funds to good use. It is important that young people
identify tangible and workable areas of investment. Some of the keys sectors
that the young people can invest are the services sector, Agriculture, mining,
manufacturing, ICTs and indigenous/cultural tourism that in my considered view represents
an attractive routes for youth-driven small scale enterprises. Currently,
Zambia has the right environment to unleash this entrepreneurship.
One
historical moment that will go down in the annals of history is Zambian’s
hosting of the Zone IX Under 20 games. Having watched a number of sporting
disciplines, it was impressive to see such high levels of patriotism that were
exhibited at the games by the Zambian youth representatives. The lesson that
could be learnt from the games is that sport is now generally a money spinner
and today, some of the world’s richest individuals are sportsmen. We have the
talent and have the capacity to even reach greater heights at the international
level.
With the foundation that was laid at the youth games, there is need to
nurture all the youth that took part in the games to ensure that the sporting
disciplines are not just a source of fitness but a source of living for the
young people. In long run we will be fighting unemployment through sport. Government’s
commitment to ensuring that the challenges that the young people face today is
definitely undoubted and it is my sincere hope that our young people will be
patient enough to respond to the Government youth agenda with a view to
tackling the unemployment problem which is not only unique to this country.
Zambian youth are patriotic and in every sense of the word need to be
celebrated. Happy youth day and celebrate wisely!
