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Midlands Correspondent

The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation is in the process of revising the National Youth Policy to ensure that it is constant with the demands and expectations of the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa.

In his keynote address during a national youth convention in Redcliff recently, Director for Youth Development in the ministry, Mr Elias Murinda said his ministry was having a re-look at some of the youth development programmes within the policy so that they attend to the needs of youths.

“This workshop comes at a most opportune time when the ministry is having a re-look at some of the youth development programmes with a view to ensuring that they become more effective in empowering the youth to become valuable citizens to this country and beyond,” said Mr Murinda.

He said the new youth policy should focus on job creation for youths and industrial growth, as well as economic empowerment projects.

“Our programming on youth development should therefore now focus on interventions that impact positively on the livelihoods of young people, job creation and industrial growth,” Mr Murinda said.

He said gone are the days when youths are often active participants and perpetrators of violence saying the youth policy should emphasises more on youths playing a critical role in maintaining peace and the attainment of vision 2030.

“His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa espoused his vision of seeing Zimbabwe become a middle income economy with increased investment, decent jobs, broad-based empowerment, free from poverty and corruption by 2030,” said Mr Murinda.

“Government recognises that young people are a critical resource both as participants and beneficiaries in maintaining peace and the attainment of vision 2030.”

Mr Murinda hailed Government for introducing Empower Bank which offers youths loans for different projects.

“Empower Bank promotes the setting up and expansion of youth owned enterprises through the provision of loans for their business start-ups,” he  said.

The National Youth Police was launched in 2013 by former president Mr Robert Mugabe and youths who attended the convention agreed that it was time the youth police was revised to suit the demands of the new government.

The convention was attended by youth representatives from across the country and was held under the theme: “Insight into the thinking of the new government and the national peace and reconciliation thrust.”