.MR SATA

By MARTIN NYIRENDA –

THE youth play a vanguard role in any society as they have a history of serving as socio-economic change agents.
Out of this, Zambia needs enthusiastic and active youth to transform the country’s socio-economic landscape which continues to strive to achieve a balance between national growth and addressing social issues strangling contemporary society.
In order to sustain and entrench the involvement of youths in the country’s development agenda, President Michael Sata has urged youths to position themselves as key players of Zambia’s economic emancipation as Government continues to play its role of creating more job opportunities and various empowerment programmes.
Rightly so, the President believes that no country could attain its social and economic development goals without the active participation of the youth – the youths are a critical component of the country’s development process whose value and interests would remain a priority for Government.
“Zambian youths are enjoying their rights and freedoms but they also need to reflect on their obligations, responsibility and contribution towards national development.
“This is also a challenge to every Zambian youth to tell the nation of what has been their personal contribution to self and national development,” he said recently on his Facebook page.
The President challenged all the youths to critically look at themselves to find out whether they are part of society’s problems or part of solutions to the problems afflicting the country.
“It is time for a paradigm shift and reposition oneself in an effort to contribute positively to national development,” he said.
He said the Government was seeking to address some of the youth challenges by using locally-driven socio-economic initiatives through the empowerment of Zambians while recognising the important role the donor community plays in complementing such initiatives.
“We are seeking an inclusive Government and we will open our doors to all stakeholders including the youths in running the affairs of the State.
“Your Government is committed and determined to come up with initiatives that are meant to provide a framework and guiding principle for an informed and effective support in the design,
monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes that will promote productive and job-rich growth for our Zambian youth,” he said.
Again, to sustain youth involvement in the country’s development agenda, Mr Sata assures that his administration would guarantee educational, skills training and employment opportunities for the youths.
You need not look far to discover the logic because lessons abound. In the 1990s, Ugandan youth successfully contributed to post-conflict nation building at both local and national levels, and today are actively participating in the country’s civil society.
Youth entrepreneurs have continued to play a significant part in building Uganda’s democratic society by contributing to the country’s political and economic development, but their stories are often unknown or untold.
Young people are pushing for systemic, democratic changes around the world through political and economic vehicles. Recently in Cambodia, youth vocalised their desire for change before the national elections took place.
In Sri Lanka, Youth Parliamentarians have been consulting with senior policy makers to make sure their opinions and inputs are heard. And in Jordan, young tech entrepreneurs are building a movement to remain part of the progressive change in that country.
In Nivya Murthi’s Youth Social Entrepreneurship for Building a Stronger India, Ms Murthi discusses India, a country with over half of the population under the age of 35, which is pullulated with energetic young people impregnated with the ability to help build a stronger democracy through social entrepreneurship.
As the Indian author put it, it is well known that India is home to a significant proportion of youth of the world today. All the imperialists of the world are eyeing India as a source of technical manpower.
She writes: “They are looking at our boys and girls as a source of talents at low costs for their future super profits. If Indian youth make up their mind and work in close unity with working class people, they can foil the plans of Imperialism and Bourgeoisie. The plunder of India can be ended with political power in their hands. The workers, peasants, women and youth will ensure that there is work for all.”
In the book ‘Role of Youth in Nation’s Development’ by Atul Shiva, a lecturer in the Department of Commerce at Sri Aurobindo College of Commerce and Management, Ludhiana, India, the author contends that the youth can play a vital role in the implementation of elimination of terrorism. If the energy, intelligence and resources of youth are fully and properly utilised the country was slated to prosper.
He proposes that the youth should equally aspire for entrepreneurship rather than conventional employment.
A vigil by this author shows that most Zambian youths are ignorant that they have an enormous responsibility in plotting a new cause for their own country.
In my contacts within several locations of Ndola, the youths appear to be a growing with the continued push for a national youth-initiated agenda and a youth-led national economic face that deliberately pushes for the renaissance that we all aspire to see in Zambia.
“President Sata’s urges that youths should position themselves as key players of Zambia’s economic emancipation as Government continues to play its role of creating more job opportunities and various empowerment programmes is a welcome development. The youthful talent around the country should be exploited so that most of us should equally benefit from the economic fruits offered by the country.
“The Government should facilitate the transformation of our virtual ideas into sustainable reality.  Youth participation is important because the youth are the country’s viable power. They recognise problems because they are strong forces in social movements,” quips Jonathan Katenshe, a business executive of Misundu Farm block.
Keith Sakala, a Ndola youth of Nkwazi Compound, believes that prioritising the role of the youth on the national agenda was a positive achievement for the country, adding that policies to engage the youths in the national growth agenda should be inclusive and that it would be unfortunate to have limited number of youths participating in the national development processes.”
Says Mr Sakala: “It is encouraging that Government is committed to address most challenges facing the youth by applying locally driven social and economic initiatives through empowerment programmes while recognising the important role the donor community plays in completing such initiatives.”
Government says it will design and include youth empowerment strategies in national development frameworks, adding that it would also improve the livelihoods and employability for the youth — effectively promoting technical capacity for achieving results on youth employment creation.
Youths are one of the greatest assets that any nation can have, as Government makes us believe, because they are also potentially and actually the greatest investment for a country’s development.
Yes, youths serve as a good measure of the extent to which a country can reproduce as well as sustain itself. The extent of their vitality, responsible conduct, and roles in society is positively correlated with the development of the country.
But despite hopes of many youths to be part of development processes taking root in the country –  which is fulfilled and anchored only on conditions of peace, a civilised and cooperative world order – the character of most youths is a stark reality staring in the face of society.
Youths are quite experimental and with the full utilisation of their talents, they could become a complete national asset.