The Sunday Mail
Victoria Ruzvidzo
The National Aids Council Editors workshop held in Chinhoyi last week heard a heart-rending testimony of how a young man from Mbare, Harare, Kudakwashe Madzima was a drug addict a few years ago and was only rescued by his family who took him to South Africa for rehabilitation.
But he confessed that when he came back he was on the verge of re-joining the illegal drugs world as he had nothing else to do. Fortunately for him, he then got a piece of land that has kept him busy and away from the drugs underworld.
He took us through his journey, giving graphic details of the effects and “benefits” of taking drugs.
The statement that I had nothing to do is one that has been proffered by too many youngsters caught on the wrong side of life. A big number of girls fell pregnant and dropped out of school during lockdowns and their excuse was that they had nothing else to do.
This is a most unfortunate scenario that has affected our youths. Is it because we have raised microwave youths who expect everything on a silver platter at the quickest possible time or are these harsh realities of the times we live in?
How best can this situation be redeemed?
Zimbabwe, as with Africa at large, has the advantage of a high youth demographic, estimated at about 67 percent of the population.
This means the economy has young, active, more energetic youths who can work and take the economy forward. Young minds are creative and innovative, ingredients that the economy needs.
We have generally witnessed great success from the youths here and abroad. Innovation hubs have come up with brilliant ideas from university students while some of the solid solutions in production and value-addition projects through our young minds.
But in the same measure we have youths who are engaged in substance and alcohol abuse and other unprintable actions that have left the society wondering what has become of our leaders of tomorrow.
Cases of substance abuse have been narrated over and over while pregnancy in schools is a phenomenon that has ceased to surprise us. It is now commonplace. No wonder we get wild celebrations if the girl child makes it through high school and college. It can no longer be taken for granted.
The youths are not only our future, but our present too. It is what happens now that will shape their future and ours in the process.
Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular, has a higher demographic dividend more than any other hence our increasing attraction to global players. In fact this continent is dubbed the next growth region largely because of its high youth population.
Africa will have the largest market, assured by the youth figures
But that has to be managed, we need to nurture, harness and stimulate this important resource to rid the continent of its troubles that include poverty, disease and civil strife.
The situation is still redeemable for as long as we take deliberate measures to nurture them and bring to the fold those that have become wayward.
Of necessity, we need to closely watch the youths’ progression.
As much as we have opportunities, we also have threats regarding this segment of the populace.
When youths are not engaged in productive activities, they tend to get involved in all manner of vice as stated above.
Drug, alcohol abuse, early pregnancies, childhood marriages pose a clear and present danger.
An idle mind defaults to engagements which retard growth and development and it would be a tragedy if we let all the potential go untapped.
Parents have a fiduciary role of ensuring that youths are productive. Furthermore, society at large should come up with interventions and mechanisms to derive the greatest benefit from them.
Youths need to be prioritised
Organisations such as the Zimbabwe Youth Council are oriented towards the fulfilment of youthful aspirations. These should be lauded and more are needed.
On its part, the Government has launched a number of initiatives directed at the youths, including the Empowerment Bank and other such, as it consolidates its inclusive growth strategies. Under a number of programmes and projects, youth have been accorded priority.
The establishment of innovation hubs in universities is also a strategy to harness the potential resident in our youths.
However, current challenges facing many of the youths demand that more should be done not just by the Government, but by the private sector and other stakeholders.
Such organisations as the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, and the Chamber of Mines need to launch more pronounced initiatives that will ensure youths are actively engaged in the development discourse.
They need to be kept busy so they can stay out of trouble. It would be a sad day for our country if it were to lose a whole generation to drugs and other shenanigans.
On their part, the youth must be proactive and take the initiatives to improve their lives.
They must not rush to drugs and other vices for solace, but they need to be entrepreneurial and engage in more productive projects for their sustenance, contributing to the country’s welfare in the process.
There are many opportunities in this economy that youths can seize and turn out well as the future generation.
Youths have a role to play in shaping our society and country. It all starts with the inculcation of hunhu/ubuntu as they grow up.
Some families and society in general have been found wanting in this regard hence a flawed social construct that has allowed the young ones to disregard advice and wise counsel from the elders. Previously a child was raised by a whole village, but these days people are told off.
Furthermore, in schools, the entrepreneurial culture needs to be factored in right from primary school level so that we do not raise children with “nothing to do” except mischief.
“The National Development Strategy 1 is spot on:
‘‘Zimbabwe has the advantage accruing to most developing economies — the Youth Dividend. The total population is estimated at 14,8 million and growing at 1,4 percent per annum and a life expectancy of 61 years at birth. As much as 53,6 percent of the population is below 20 years while 62,9 percent of the population is below 24 years. Of those below 24 years, 31,7 percent are females while 31,2 percent are males. It has been noted that most youth in Zimbabwe have not embraced the culture of hard work and the principle that hard and honest work pays.
“During the NDS1 National Development Strategy 1 period, there is need to develop a mental construct for the youth in respect of the importance of hard honest work and that development in other countries has been as a result of this most productive and most energetic group in society.
“There are clear benefits for Zimbabwe to exploit both the Youth Dividend and Gender mainstreaming. Improving Youth Participation. Policy and programme formulation need to start with a comprehensive involvement and appropriate decision-taking of youth at all levels, including communities, schools and universities at provincial and national level.
“The main outcomes under the Youth Participation, include: Increasing youth participation in decision-making and development processes from 3,3 percent in 2020 to 25 percent by 2025; and Increasing the number of youth who accessed empowerment opportunities in all sectors of the economy from 16 000 in 2020 to 200 000 by 2025.
“Strategies to improve youth participation during the NDS1 Period include the following:- Supporting youth participation in legislative and policy processes Enhancing leadership development training; Enhancing youth participation in decision-making processes at national, regional and local levels; Mainstreaming youth policy across all sectors of the economy; Reconfiguring of technical vocational education; Developing and modernising the VET infrastructure, machinery and equipment; Promoting the creation and reinforcement of synergies between the youth and Youth Development Partners; Developing effective enabling legal and policy framework; and Establishing institutional mechanism with the capacity to identify and nurture youth innovations.
The following programmes will be implemented to achieve increased youth participation in development and decision making during the NDS1 Period:- Youth Leadership capacity development; Installation and support of junior councils and parliament; National Youth Service programme; Youth Build Zimbabwe programme and development of Community projects.”
This is exactly what the doctor ordered. The onus is on us to do our part in harnessing the youth dividend.
In God I Trust!
Twitter handle: @VictoriaRuzvid2; Email: [email protected]; [email protected]; WhatsApp number: 0772 129 972.
