Govt to launch National Youth service
Government, through the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, will soon launch the National Youth Service Programme aimed at curbing unemployment among the youth in the country, Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Enock Chihana has disclosed.
Chihana made the disclosure last week following concerns raised by some Mzuzu based youths who during the last Youth Employment Forum organised by Youth and Society at St John of God Hall, claimed that lack of government political will towards youth programmes in the country is contributing to high levels of unemployment.
The Indaba, which aimed at finding long term solutions to youth unemployment in the country, drew together the youths, the academia, the private sector and civil society organisations.
Speaking to Malawi News Agency (Mana), Chihana said the National Youth service programme shows government’s commitment and political will towards addressing high levels of unemployment among young people which, according to youth activists in the country, is at an alarming rate.
He said the State President Joyce Banda is expected to launch the National Youth Service at Neno Institute in Neno District either in November or December this year.
During the Youth Employment Forum, programme manager for Phunzirani Development Organisation, Kinnear Mlowoka, said lack of political will towards youth programmes in the country is contributing to high levels of unemployment.
He said government does not have a long term policy or plan for the youth, observing that when one government initiates a programme, the succeeding government abandons the project and starts another one.
But Chihana said the National Youth Service will be sustainable as it is contained in the recent ly launched National youth policy.
He disclosed that as soon as the National Youth Policy is launched, government will be absorbing all graduates from the universities into internship programmes and then into government system at a later stage.
Recent statistics show that every year, 300 000 young people qualify for the job market but only 30 000 are absorbed into the system.
Chihana, however, called on the youth to be patriotic by creating employment for themselves rather than wait on government to provide employment for them.
The 2008 Population and Housing Census showed that youth unemployment rate in the country was at 42 percent but recent surveys peg youth unemployment at 60 percent, according to director of youth and society, Charles Kajoloweka.—Mana
