. Yaluma
By KENNEDY MUPESENI
NO youth accessed the Youth Empowerment Fund in Mungwi District in Northern Province last year because they all reportedly failed to fill in the application forms.
So the youth have urged the government to simplify the application forms for them to access the funds for various ventures.
Bwalya Bwikalo said the youths were failing to get funds due to the forms’ complication.
He said this in an interview on behalf of other youths in Mungwi.
“The forms are too complicated, it needs someone with accounts knowledge, because one is made to make a balance sheet of products and services to be procured for sale,” Mr Bwikalo said.
He said even those from urban areas with a semblance of accounts expertise were hiring consultants to fill in the forms for them which was disadvantaging would-be beneficiaries.
Malole Member of Parliament Christopher Yaluma acknowledged that youths in his constituency were not accessing empowerment funds.
He resolved to help youths fill the forms since all efforts at the district level had not materialised.
Mr Yaluma said he wanted to ensure that youths undertook economic ventures in his constituency and exploit the economic potential the district was endowed with.
He added that he was working with the relevant ministries to increase the number of youth skills resource and training centres in his constituency.
