Harare, (New Ziana) –The Zimbabwe government is committed to ensuring policy coherence, enabling environments, and decentralised coordination for the successful implementation of the ambitious Youth Employment and Empowerment (YEE) project, an official said on Wednesday.
Permanent secretary in the Ministry Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Solomon Mhlanga said this at the launch of the Second Phase of the YEE project.
He said the project aims to empower 13 000 youths through various projects that assist them to sustain their livelihoods, create 7 000 green jobs and support 650 new youth-led enterprises
“This launch is not merely a project event. It is a strategic milestone in the Government’s journey to create inclusive, sustainable, and decent work opportunities for youth, who constitute over 67 percent of our national population. With approximately 2.3 million youth currently not in education, employment or training, the need for comprehensive, systemic action is greater than ever,” he said.
Mhlanga said Phase 1 of the project produced excellent results as 11 700 youths were trained, 6 600 jobs created, more than 3 000 youths accessed finance, and hundreds of youth-led enterprises were started or scaled while importantly, over 56 percent of those supported were young women, showing that inclusive design works.
“This is a flagship intervention. We will continue to strengthen alignment across districts, Ministries, and stakeholders to support youth empowerment holistically,” Mhlanga said.
The vision to become an upper middle income society by 2030 and the National Development Strategy-1 (NDS-1) positions young people in Zimbabwe at the centre of the economic transformation agenda.
Mhlanga added that the National Youth Policy (2020–2025) and the forthcoming Youth Empowerment Strategy set a clear direction to ensure that youths are equipped with market-relevant skills and also empowered as entrepreneurs, job creators, and leaders in their communities.
YEE project manager Cloffas Nyagumbo said the four-year program will run until August 2028 and will create opportunities that will transform the lives of young people, developing in them the passion to drive themselves from the state of being unemployed to being employed.
“We envisage reaching out to 18 000 young, innovative entrepreneurs through partnerships with organisations such as SNV Zimbabwe (Netherlands Development Organisation), Old Mutual and the Swedish Development Agency (SDA), among others,” he said.
New Ziana
