Zimpapers Logo

Midlands Bureau
YOUNG Champion farmer from the Midlands Province Mr John Muchenje has commended President Mnangagwa for ensuring youth empowerment in all sectors of the economy.

In an interview yesterday, Mr Muchenje said there was now urgent need for implementing Government arms to act in earnest in implementing youth’s empowerment programmes.

“President Mnangagwa has made commitments to ensure that the needs of the youths are met in all sector of the economy. For example HE pledged to prioritise allocation of land to us after the land audit and we are confident about it,” he said.

“Our President has an open door policy which we are going to utilise effectively until issues to do with our empowerment are met. We can’t have multiple farms owners and idle land when youths don’t have the land. We need to work and produce. Our import bill needs to be reduced through production hence we are making noise about this land issue.”

Mr Muchenje is also the Agricultural Ambassador for Germany based organisation DeutschConnect -an organisation that seeks to link Southern African Start Ups and Young Entrepreneurs with German business ecosystem He said the New Dispensation has taught the youths to be productive and business oriented.

“As youths I think we have reformed and we are committed to working for our country. We cannot continue to be cry babies who do press statements or marches to blast producers; we are saying we need enough resources: we need to be empowered so that we will flood the markets with affordable commodities,” he said.

“So we call on the Government arms to have accurate data base of youth in businesses and those who have brilliant business ideas who should be given adequate funding and significant support. “For example we have the Empowerment Bank that was setup for the youths but the majority of them are failing to access the loans because many don’t have collateral. There is therefore need to put in place soft conditions that allow youths to access loans to start of boast their businesses.”

Mr Muchenje said Government should make use of the youth as potential capital for socio-economic development.

He said it was sad that the youths continued to be excluded in parastatals boards even if they had the requisite qualifications for such posts. Mr Muchenje, who recently won Youth Empowerment Annual award from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, said revolutionary youths should lead by example and be principled, disciplined and committed to development of our country.