By Margaret Kamba
As we continue to explore the importance of National Youth Day, today we feature the Deputy Minister of Finance and Investment Promotion Honourable Kuda Mnangagwa who highlights that vision 2030 must identify with everyone. He also provides solutions for the drug and substance abuse menace, which has overpowered many of our youths.
"The National Youth Day came on the backdrop of what was traditionally February 21st Movement or celebrations which were on the birthday of the former President and icon Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe which is mostly why we celebrate as youth. If you were to take a brief analysis at the demographics in Zimbabwe and mostly in Africa, we find that almost 65 to 70 percent of the population is the youth. Moreso if you consider in another five to 40 years, you find that we as Africans are a youthful population. So for us to have a specific day that we celebrate and are celebrating to introspect economic, social, political as well as environmental issues for us, is a win especially as the youth of Zimbabwe."
Speaking abouth the nyika inovakwa nevene vayo mantra, this is what Minister Mnangagwa said this.
"The nyika inovakwa nevene vayo philosophy or mantra has become engraved in everything that we do. There's a saying that God spreads evenly but sometimes opportunity is concentrated. What His Excellency President E.D Mnangagwa has done is, he has sought to spread out the opportunities that are available to the country throughout to allow equal access to all young people. So you will find that the transformational growth that has been happening has nor been concentrated in your traditional hubs, you know your Harare, your Bulawayo, but throughout the whole country even in the marginalised of regions. This has created opportunities for even the most marginalised of youth to have access to the opportunities that are available," Minister Mnangagwa said.
"Now which opportunities are there? I think the Second Republic has created a conducive and accessible mining environment which allows young people to participate with government support from various facilities that come through government, the Fidelity and again through the private sector. Farming, you know there is a deliberate programme to have smaller pieces of land that will be capacitated to allow the youth to participate. We have a rural industrialisation programme which will see your traditional rural to migration somewhat halt and probably even have a reversal as we see our communities in rural areas grow. So you will find that most of this development is happening to benefit the young people.
"Infrastructure wise, your dams that are being built in the eight out of ten provinces, which means that we will be perennial farmers. In all our farming regions even the ones that are traditionally dry areas. Again these are jobs for the youth and downstream benefits in as far as the trade and further beneficiation of these products. I will say that in each and every aspect of the economy, you will find something youthful cadre benefitting from the programmes that have been put in place by the Second Republic. I would say it has been a deliberate and tact approach."
Asked on how the youth are contributing towards developing their country, Minister Mnangagwa noted that the current war requires resilience.
"When our forefathers went to war, they were young. That was a struggle against injustice where just a few thousand white people owned 95 percent of the arable land. Today we are faced with a different struggle which is that of the economic emancipation. The fruits of the liberation struggle gave us our land, gave us our resources, now as young people, we are faced with the arduous task of sweating these resources albeit under very difficult circumstances," Minister Mnangagwa said.
"We have been through two revolutions. The first one was to gain our independence as a country. We went through a second revolution, which was to actually gain control of our resources. Now, I will say we are going through an economic revolution which calls for a different type of a duty, a different type of mental stamina and resilience that we the youth have to stay strong and avoid somewhat of a manipulation that may come as a result of those powers that may not be entirely happy with the journey that Zimbabwe has taken. I think it is time for the youth to carry the mantle and stay strong for future generations just as our forefathers did prior to us. That is the battle we face as the youth of today."
Commenting on the drugs and substance menace, he said there's need to get the youths occupied.
"The drug and substance abuse affliction is something that is pulverizing our youth not just physically but mentally. We actually risk a generation being eroded through this menace," he said.
"It's a very complicated phenomenon that is going on. You have some economic pressures and social pressures that may drive they youth towards taking these substances. Once they are in, it becomes a long cycle that is difficult to come out of that makes them unproductive, which worsens the economic and socio-economic issues they are facing. So it's a generational issue that is probably going to affect us more in the future than it is now. Right now, we see what is happening, but the ripple effects will be seen in the future.
"What I can say as a young appointee who has been appointed on somewhat on an influential role is the best way to get our youth out of this menace is to keep them productive. Create employers who create employees who are youth as well as to create the environment that enables entrepreneurship that enables activity as well as funding the social aspect as well, which is your sports, your culture, to allow our young people to think and not be consumed by these ills. You find that the President in his wisdom has also initiated innovation hubs in all our state universities. The whole point is to think freely and innovate to the full extent of their thinking capacity.
"What we then need to do is take those innovations outside of the innovations outside of the innovation hubs to allow them to become thriving enterprises. This is the only way that we as a nation can get our youth productive and draw them away from this drug and substance phenomenon we see currently going on
In conclusion, Minister Mnangagwa gave an in-depth understanding of vision 2030.
"The vision that His Excellency President E.D Mnangagwa has for this country, for the youth, which is tied into vision 2030, is not unpacked in a manner that each and every person can identify with. When you talk about an upper middle economy by 2030, you want to have a standard of living that matches some of our neighbours in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and those in the upper middle income economies. That means each and every one has a part to play in this growth. What the government is doing is creating the environment and creating the base. What then is needed is for our young people to think outside the box and to participate in those programme that are happening. I know there could be a better exercise as to which opportunities are available, but we urge the young people to always be with their eyes open and ears on the ground. Wherever there's an application for anything that is needed, just put in your papers in. Don't be fear mongered by those who tell you that certain things are a preserve for certain parties or a certain group. Let us all participate because what is on the banner is for everybody for all the youth of Zimbabwe. Let us keep our eyes on this vision. Let us see each and everyone participate and contribute to this agenda."
National Youth Day will be celebrated under the theme "Positioning youth empowerment and development towards vision 2030."