UPND pledge to empower youths with business skills

By Staff Reporter, LUSAKA 

United Party for National Development (UPND) president, Hakainde Hichilema says UPND is set to help youths to become cadres of entrepreneurship who are ambitious for both their own future and that of our nation. 

In a statement availed to WM Media, Mr Hichilema stated that many youths in Zambia are unemployed. 

“In urban areas around half of males aged 20 to 24 are unemployed. Their frustration at the limited opportunities open to them to earn a decent living is understandable,” he stated. 

He stated that unemployment is something that leadership can address productively given vision and political will. 

“Instead of equipping these youths with the skills they need to get a job or start a business, the PF has equipped them with pangas,” Mr Hichilema stated. 

Mr Hichilema explained that Government must ensure that our youths are empowered and supported to succeed so that they become engaged, productive and motivated. 

He pointed that by developing the relevant skills in youths, communities will benefit a lot. 

“Imiti ikula empanga. If we provide training opportunities and support to 5 aspiring entrepreneurs then each may go on to start businesses that employ 5 more people and then we have 30 people in jobs as a result of that first bit of support,” he explained. 

He noted that mindset change cross the boards is needed if Zambia is to develop. 

“What is also clear is that we need a mind-set change across the board so that we start to share in one another’s success and support one another to achieve great heights. This is where we should focus our energies, not in bad mouthing our colleagues and peers, or churning up divisive and non-productive sentiments,” Mr Hichilema stated. 

Meanwhile, Mr Hichilema has since stated that UPND is geared to fix Zambia's economy. 

“As we work to fix our economy we must always remember that a business is only as a good as the people it employs. It is up to us to equip and empower the next generation so that we can share in the fruits of success,” he stated.