A youth in Monze displays his skills. Here, the youth is making braziers for sale.By DOREEN NAWA
THE government’s innovative Youth Development Fund (YDF) has the potential to create jobs and improve livelihoods of the youth if the obstacles that impede its implementation are sorted out.
But in Southern Province, less than half of the allocated fund was accessed last year due to a number of factors, thereby limiting the realisation of its potential to transform lives of youth.
THE government’s innovative Youth Development Fund (YDF) has the potential to create jobs and improve livelihoods of the youth if the obstacles that impede its implementation are sorted out.
But in Southern Province, less than half of the allocated fund was accessed last year due to a number of factors, thereby limiting the realisation of its potential to transform lives of youth.
Ideally, the YDF is a revolving and non-profit general assistance fund aimed at empowering Zambian youth through entrepreneurship.
This entails that youth with innovative entrepreneurial ideas to create jobs for themselves and employ others can apply for these funds.
However, several factors have apparently hampered the realisation of its full potential.
For Southern province, the factors included ignorance on how to apply for the fund and the much deeper effects of the misconception that the fund is meant for youth affiliated to the ruling Patriotic Front (PF).
“We are happy that you have come to clear the air about the Youth Development Fund because there are too many myths surrounding accessing the funds. Most people here think that this fund is meant for the members of the PF and not any other, as a result, some youth have been reluctant to apply for the fund,” said a Monze resident Dresden Mwiinga.
According to Mr Mwiinga, Southern Province needs economic transformation but it can only be possible if people change their mindset.
“We need economic transformation not just to raise general living standards but also to create conditions in which people can enjoy social and political freedoms because economic advance and political progress are clearly linked,” Mr Mwiinga said.
In this year’s budget, Government has allocated KR19.1 million (K19.1 billion) to support youth enterprises compared to KR11.8 million (K11.8 billion) in last year’s budget.
Specifically for Southern Province, Government has allocated KR1.3 million (K1.3 billion) compared to the 2012 allocation of KR1.1 million (K1.1 billion).
Out of the K1.1billion only K422 million was accessed and the rest was returned to the treasury.
The failure to access the fund by the youth in Southern Province and other parts of the country prompted the Ministry of Youth and Sport which is responsible for the disbursement, to carry out sensitisation meetings in the province.
The team led by deputy minister of Youth and Sport, Nathaniel Mubukwanu, visited Mazabuka, Monze, Choma, Kalomo, Livingstone and part of Kazungula district.
The low number of youth who accessed the fund indicates that the attitude of people in the province towards the government initiative is unenthusiastic.
“The Youth Development Fund is meant for youth in Zambia regardless of their political affiliation. I feel this tendency of politicising government initiatives meant to benefit the Zambians is undermining development.
“Do not listen to these government critics, the fund is for all youth aged between 18 and 35,” Mr Mubukwanu said.
“Besides, the fund was initiated by the past government in 2010 and we just carried it over. Why should the fund be politicised?” he asked.
According to Mr Mubukwanu, Government saw it suitable to promote youth enterprises by continuing with the youth development fund.
“It is only through an innovative approach to funding small business ventures that Zambian youth can fight poverty and unemployment in the country,” he said.
Mr Mubukwanu further urged the would-be recipients of the fund to use the money wisely and change the well-being of their communities.
Accompanied by officials from BancABC, Mr Mubukwanu held similar talks with youths in Nsongwe in Kazungula district.
During the sensitisation meetings in all the districts along the line of rail in Southern province, youths came in droves presumably as ‘doubting Thomases’ but by the end of the meetings, more than half the number demanded to be given application forms for the fund.
“I was one of those that had a notion that the funds were meant for PF members alone because of what we have been told in the past about the youth development fund,” said Kelly Munsaje, a Monze resident who was delighted to have had attended the sensitisation meeting.
According to Muma Mukupa, the chief youth development officer at the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the fund is a catalyst to employment and wealth creation for the youth who wish to take up entrepreneurship to create employment for themselves and others.
“It is worth noting that self-employment is the easiest and quickest way to wealth creation using strategies at micro level. It is envisaged that the fund will contribute to employment creation through enterprise development by the youth, thereby contributing to the reduction of unemployment and under-employment among the youth,” Mr Mukupa said.
According to the Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ), the current youth unemployment rate stands at 43 percent.
In response, the government created youth revolving fund whose overall objective is to lend finance to viable projects by the young entrepreneurs as well as enable the youth to benefit from associated training and mentorship services.
It is aimed at supporting the growth sustainable youth-led small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into the private sector for wealth and employment creation.
In order to make a meaningful contribution towards uplifting the country’s economy, the Ministry of Youth and Sport has engaged services of technical advisor from the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), to advise the youth on starting up and sustaining their businesses.
Youths can either apply for a loan, whose ceiling is currently at KR50, 000, or a grant, which is at a ceiling of KR30, 000.
The government has further decentralised the process of approving and reviewing of proposals.
From the youths, the proposals will now be going to provincial centres where different stakeholders have formed committees which are chaired by the provincial permanent secretaries who actually review the submitted proposals and conduct desk appraisal.
They also do field appraisals to ascertain their correctness and viability.
The YDF envisions empowered youth as the change agent.
Published on Monday, 11 February 2013 06:11 This entails that youth with innovative entrepreneurial ideas to create jobs for themselves and employ others can apply for these funds.
However, several factors have apparently hampered the realisation of its full potential.
For Southern province, the factors included ignorance on how to apply for the fund and the much deeper effects of the misconception that the fund is meant for youth affiliated to the ruling Patriotic Front (PF).
“We are happy that you have come to clear the air about the Youth Development Fund because there are too many myths surrounding accessing the funds. Most people here think that this fund is meant for the members of the PF and not any other, as a result, some youth have been reluctant to apply for the fund,” said a Monze resident Dresden Mwiinga.
According to Mr Mwiinga, Southern Province needs economic transformation but it can only be possible if people change their mindset.
“We need economic transformation not just to raise general living standards but also to create conditions in which people can enjoy social and political freedoms because economic advance and political progress are clearly linked,” Mr Mwiinga said.
In this year’s budget, Government has allocated KR19.1 million (K19.1 billion) to support youth enterprises compared to KR11.8 million (K11.8 billion) in last year’s budget.
Specifically for Southern Province, Government has allocated KR1.3 million (K1.3 billion) compared to the 2012 allocation of KR1.1 million (K1.1 billion).
Out of the K1.1billion only K422 million was accessed and the rest was returned to the treasury.
The failure to access the fund by the youth in Southern Province and other parts of the country prompted the Ministry of Youth and Sport which is responsible for the disbursement, to carry out sensitisation meetings in the province.
The team led by deputy minister of Youth and Sport, Nathaniel Mubukwanu, visited Mazabuka, Monze, Choma, Kalomo, Livingstone and part of Kazungula district.
The low number of youth who accessed the fund indicates that the attitude of people in the province towards the government initiative is unenthusiastic.
“The Youth Development Fund is meant for youth in Zambia regardless of their political affiliation. I feel this tendency of politicising government initiatives meant to benefit the Zambians is undermining development.
“Do not listen to these government critics, the fund is for all youth aged between 18 and 35,” Mr Mubukwanu said.
“Besides, the fund was initiated by the past government in 2010 and we just carried it over. Why should the fund be politicised?” he asked.
According to Mr Mubukwanu, Government saw it suitable to promote youth enterprises by continuing with the youth development fund.
“It is only through an innovative approach to funding small business ventures that Zambian youth can fight poverty and unemployment in the country,” he said.
Mr Mubukwanu further urged the would-be recipients of the fund to use the money wisely and change the well-being of their communities.
Accompanied by officials from BancABC, Mr Mubukwanu held similar talks with youths in Nsongwe in Kazungula district.
During the sensitisation meetings in all the districts along the line of rail in Southern province, youths came in droves presumably as ‘doubting Thomases’ but by the end of the meetings, more than half the number demanded to be given application forms for the fund.
“I was one of those that had a notion that the funds were meant for PF members alone because of what we have been told in the past about the youth development fund,” said Kelly Munsaje, a Monze resident who was delighted to have had attended the sensitisation meeting.
According to Muma Mukupa, the chief youth development officer at the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the fund is a catalyst to employment and wealth creation for the youth who wish to take up entrepreneurship to create employment for themselves and others.
“It is worth noting that self-employment is the easiest and quickest way to wealth creation using strategies at micro level. It is envisaged that the fund will contribute to employment creation through enterprise development by the youth, thereby contributing to the reduction of unemployment and under-employment among the youth,” Mr Mukupa said.
According to the Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ), the current youth unemployment rate stands at 43 percent.
In response, the government created youth revolving fund whose overall objective is to lend finance to viable projects by the young entrepreneurs as well as enable the youth to benefit from associated training and mentorship services.
It is aimed at supporting the growth sustainable youth-led small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into the private sector for wealth and employment creation.
In order to make a meaningful contribution towards uplifting the country’s economy, the Ministry of Youth and Sport has engaged services of technical advisor from the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), to advise the youth on starting up and sustaining their businesses.
Youths can either apply for a loan, whose ceiling is currently at KR50, 000, or a grant, which is at a ceiling of KR30, 000.
The government has further decentralised the process of approving and reviewing of proposals.
From the youths, the proposals will now be going to provincial centres where different stakeholders have formed committees which are chaired by the provincial permanent secretaries who actually review the submitted proposals and conduct desk appraisal.
They also do field appraisals to ascertain their correctness and viability.
The YDF envisions empowered youth as the change agent.
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