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CPC Sub-Committee on youth responses to the National Budget presented
by Finance Minister Tendai Biti
Committee
of the Peoples Charter (CPC)
November 28, 2011
The Committee
of the Zimbabwe People's Charter (CPC), as other organisations
and individuals and in line with the consultative processes on budget
formulation, on the 13th of October 2011 presented its submissions
on the 2012 budget for consideration to the government of Zimbabwe
through the responsible Ministry of Finance (M.O.F).
On the 24th
of November 2011, the Minister of Finance Hon Tendai Biti presented
his budget proposition to the Parliament
of Zimbabwe. In the budget, the MOF aptly recognised the challenges
confronting young people: unemployment, limited access to capital
sources and high borrowing costs, lack of infrastructure for youth
business venture and skills deficit, and sought to put in place
measures to address these challenges.
Following a
careful look at the provisions of the budget, the CPC notes and
cautiously welcome the budgetary provisions on the following specific
aspects that invariably have an impact on the livelihoods, development
and future of young people and the country in general:
- Youth and
Empowerment,
- Small and
Medium Scale Enterprises,
- Jobs fund,
- Women Development
fund,
- Informal
sector,
- Apprenticeship
and Internship Schemes,
- Students
grant-loan reintroduction.
The intervention
and intent of government and its strategic private sectors partners,
within the context of the abovementioned strategic areas, in particular
the additional resources allocated towards the youth fund and the
support for small and medium scale enterprises is both welcome and
commendable. However, the youth sub-committee of Committee of the
People's Charter, with the intention of ensuring the full
implementation of the programs and the attainment of the desirable
outcomes, wishes to raise concerns arising from past experiences
regarding such noble initiatives:
- Politicisation
of government programs, in the process undermining effectiveness.
- Partisanship
nature of the administration of such government-involved funds.
- Conditions
attached in order for one to access such funds have traditionally
been a hindrance to potential beneficiaries.
These implementation
impediments have to a larger extent made it difficult for genuinely
deserving young people, with brilliant initiatives and the necessary
skills and determination, to access the support. These impediments
have also been compounded by lack of proper democratic, transparent
and accountable institutions mandated to ensure the smooth implementation
of apparently noble initiatives.
To address these
short-coming, the CPC proposes the following:
1. Setting up
of a inter-ministerial task-force (comprising the Ministries of
Youth, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Women's Affairs and
Gender, Small to Medium Enterprise development and Finance), mandated
to coordinate the administration of these state as well as private
funds so as to ensure that deserving young people including females
benefit from government's empowerment initiatives.
2. Setting up of an independent National Youth Development Agency
mandated to:
- Initiate,
design, co-ordinate, evaluate and monitor all programmes aimed
at empowering as well as integrating the youth into dominant players
in the spheres of political, economy and society.
- Guide efforts
and facilitate economic education and training.
- Partner and
assist organs of state, private sector and non-governmental organizations
and on initiatives aimed at the overall attainment of employment
and skills development.
- Initiate
programmes directed at poverty alleviation, urban and rural development
and combating of crime, substance abuse and social decay amongst
youth.
- Establish
annual priority programmes in respect of youth development.
- Ensure accessibility
of youth development information in particular rural youths.
The CPC also
call for a 'Public Works Program' - that takes unemployed youth
to work in national priority programs. As the youth, we have as
many graduates and school leaders who instead of sitting at home
could be providing teaching services in rural schools, helping build
roads, dams, providing maintenance for schools and cleaning cities.
We further call
upon government to put in place an affirmative policy towards ensuring
that young people get a quota on all state contracts.
Finally, the
Committee of the People's Charter sub-committee on youth calls
upon young entrepreneurs to take the initiative and apply for these
funds, put them to good use and effectively contribute towards the
renaissance of our country. We wish to make a clarion call on young
people to unleash the spirit of innovation that is inherent in them.
Youth Organisations
signatories to the Zimbabwe
People's Charter:
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