Govt assures support to youth
MANYARA: THE government has expressed its readiness to continue supporting youth so that they can be part and parcel in building the national economy.
The assurance was made on Tuesday by Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament and Coordination), Jenista Mhagama who represented Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa at the launch of the National Youth Week celebrations held at national level in Manyara Region.
“In bringing economic reforms in the society, we have witnessed that our government has developed various strategies to ensure that young people have opportunities that can lift their economic status,” said Mhagama on behalf of Majaliwa.
The Premier outlined some of the efforts made by the government to support youth economically, such as Building Better Tomorrow Youth Initiative for Agribusiness (BBT-YIA), where through the programme more than 800 young people in the country joined the programme.
He added that in the livestock sector, there are 8 training centres with a total of 238 young people, (71 females and 167 males) who are undergoing training on animal fattening and are doing well.
The Premier further directed Regional Commissioners (RCs) in the country to create an environment that will enable young people to start small businesses.
He said RCs should create an environment that will enable youth to start small businesses, including improving infrastructure for provision of social services, especially water and electricity.
“Through the resolution of the Regional Commissioners in 2014, the government has ordered all councils across the country to set aside areas for youth activities, including the construction of industries that will be owned by youth,” Mr Majaliwa emphasised.
Referring to the 2022 National Population and Housing Census, the PM said Tanzania has a population of 61.7 million people, but among them, 21.3 million are young people, which is equivalent to 34.5 per cent of the total population.
“According to the workforce research conducted by the Prime Minister’s Office – Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disabilities, the country has a workforce of more than 25 million people, of which 14.2 million are young people…what does it mean? … 55.6 per cent of the workforce in the country are young people,” he underlined.
Coupled with that, Mr Majaliwa noted “We must agree that youths are the engine of our nation’s development, we as the government and all the leaders have to stand firm to develop youth skills and recognise their innovations together with the talents in bringing about development of the economy and the nation as a whole.”
He also urged youth to be patriotic by managing the nation’s resources for the betterment of the country as well as working hard for national development.
“It is important for all young people in the country to realise that the nation depends on them to bring development, but more importantly to uphold peace and national unity…if these things are lost, the youth will have no place to work,” he added.
Earlier, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Labour, Youth and Employment), Professor Joyce Ndalichako unveiled that President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to conclude this year’s National Youth Week celebrations on 14th October.
For his side, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Tanzania, Mr Mark Bryan Schreine said youth leadership and youth participation are key in decision making and development process, adding that the fund recognises that when youth are empowered and provided with the right opportunities they are effective drivers of change.
