By JAMES KUNDA-
Government’s plans to create 500,000 new jobs for the youth by the end of next year are on course.

. MWALE

Youth and Sports Minister Vincent Mwale said this was despite the economic challenges the country was currently going through.
Mr Mwale was optimistic that the target would be met as job creation was a multi-sectoral exercise that was not premised on a particular economic activity.
In August this year, President Edgar Lungu launched the National Youth Policy and Action Plan to foster youth empowerment and employment programmes countrywide.
Mr Mwale said in Lusaka that the implementation of the action plan was on course and that the creation of 500,000 jobs would be realised.
He said some sections of society that had ridiculed Government’s pronouncement were being unfair by making blanket statements on the issue.
“Those people criticising this particular pronouncement need to be fair and desist from making blanket statements because to the contrary, a lot of progress has been made towards achieving the target.
“The ministry has been doing a lot of work and it will only be fair for them to engage Government and see exactly what measures are being implemented to create these jobs,” Mr Mwale said.
He said his ministry was collaborating with other ministries where youth focal point persons had been identified to mainstream the process of creating the jobs.
“This has been done from the conviction that we are not just looking at one sector to create these jobs.
“The exercise is multi-sectoral, hence the involvement of various ministries,” Mr Mwale said.
One of the programmes cited for the creation of jobs was the operation of 2,000 solar milling plants which the Government bought from China to install countrywide.