Harare, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwean youths should move beyond empty applause and become productive drivers of national development, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
Addressing the ZANU PF Youth League National Assembly in Harare on Wednesday, President Mnangagwa who is also the ruling party First Secretary, challenged young people to position themselves at the centre of the industrialization, innovation and economic transformation agenda of the country under the national vision to become an upper middle income society by 2030.
He said the future being built under the Second Republic required foresighted thinkers, meticulous planners and focused implementers.
“As First Secretary, I will not allow the Youth League to be a club of mere ‘talkers’. All your members have a duty to be productive and implementers of the Party’s economic and social policies,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said the government was investing heavily in youth empowerment through vocational training centres and skills development programs to create a disciplined and productive generation.
He said the launch of the E.D. Mnangagwa Youth Service and Vocational Training Centre at Igava in Marondera, together with the establishment of the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Vocational Training Centre in Maphisa, Matabeleland South province, reflected Government commitment to equipping youths with practical skills.
“The key aim is to ensure that young people are accelerators of industrialization, modernization, sustainable development and prosperity in our country,” he said.
President Mnangagwa commended the ZANU PF Youth League for mobilizing young people to participate in national programs, including the recent Independence Day commemorations and National Youth Day celebrations.
“The number of young people that turned up for the recent Independence Day commemorations throughout the country demonstrated the enduring spirit of independence, freedom, unity and national pride among the youth,” he said.
He also urged youths to embrace entrepreneurship, innovation and export-oriented business opportunities, saying partnerships with organizations such as ZimTrade should help young entrepreneurs penetrate regional and global markets.
“More partnerships should be pursued with organizations such as ZIMTRADE to help youth enter export markets,” he said.
President Mnangagwa warned against complacency, factionalism and behaviour that weakens the ruling party, urging young party members to remain disciplined, loyal and ideologically grounded.
“Discipline, integrity and hard honest work must not simply be spoken of, they must be lived without compromise. I call upon you to reject the temptation of fence sitting, empty applause and grandstanding. Instead, steer the Party and communities towards productivity and the realization of a higher quality of life,” he said.
He further challenged the Youth League to strengthen grassroots mobilization and political education while defending national unity and development.
“At the national level, I challenge you to rise to the assignment before you as the youth under the 4th Chimurenga, with conviction and unflinching patriotism,” he said.
Youths should actively reject divisive elements seeking to derail peace, unity and national development through negativity and despondency, he said.
He reiterated that the country’s development trajectory should be shaped by local priorities, innovation and self-reliance while remaining open to global partnerships.
“Development, industrialization, modernization and a higher quality of life for all our people is possible,” said President Mnangagwa.
New Ziana
