Sports, Youth and Child Development Permanent Secretary Teddy Mulonga says the Zambian youth experience many challenges in accessing financial support from lending institutions.
ZANIS reports that Mr. Mulonga said this when he presented Zambia’s statement to the two-day general debate of the United Nations General Assembly on youth at the United Nations headquarters in the United States of America ( USA ) yesterday.
He said in spite of this challenge, Government was committed to promote enterprise development for wealth and employment creation for the youth, and to this effect, has established a Youth Development Fund.
The fund targets young men and women, disabled youth and those affected by HIV and AIDS at a concessionary interest rate.
The Permanent Secretary said no longer can governments afford devise the development agenda that addressed youth concerns without their participation in the planning and implementation processes.
Zambia has instituted a process of consulting the youth through the holding of regional meetings called “Provincial Youth Indabas” and the appointment of youths to various decision making bodies.
This is according to a Statement from Zambian High Commission to the United Nations Assistant Secretary for Press Moses Walubita.
The Permanent Secretary said this had proved to be an effective way of engaging the youth in national development and decision making processes.
“It is clear that although there has been progress in addressing issues concerning youth, much remains to be done. It is important that the international community addresses key areas affecting the youth,” said Mr. Mulonga, who was the 29th speaker in the afternoon’s session.
Zambia was pleased to participate at the meeting whose theme, “Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding,” which provided participants with the opportunity to share and exchange views on the challenges facing the youth.
The Permanent Secretary said Zambian Government considers young people to be the foundation for sustainable development.
The development and utilization of youth human capital was imperative in order to build the necessary capital for youth to become productive adults in society. Accordingly, Government has designed policies and programmes which focused on youth empowerment investment.
Aligning himself to statements by Argentina on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and Namibia on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Mr. Mulonga said Zambia’s population comprises 68 percent of young people below the age of 35.
Like anywhere else, the youth in Zambia faced a number of challenges of inadequate employment opportunities, limited access to finance for investment, HIV and AIDS, and inadequate skills training opportunities, he said.
ZANIS
