Teenage pregnancies rile Chitipa chiefs
Traditional Authority (T/A) Mwenewenya of Chitipa has expressed concern over rising cases of teenage pregnancies in the district, saying the situation is hindering youth involvement in economic activities.
The chief was speaking on Monday during African Youth Day commemorations at Wenya in Chitipa.
The chief said the country can achieve tangible economic growth if the youth do not face challenges that affect their contributions towards economic development such as unwanted pregnancies and drug and substance abuse.
“The youth need to realise that the country depends on their contributions towards economic development so they have to stay away from behaviours that will destroy their future.
“The biggest challenge is teenage pregnancies as many teens are getting pregnant. It is my plea to all chiefs and stakeholders in the district to put in extra effort to arrest the situation,” said Mwenewenya.
Chitipa district youth officer Jessie Mwansambo urged the youth to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset to improve their livelihoods.
“Most of the youth in the district are unemployed so we are urging them to go through vocational training so that they can be entrepreneurs and be able to employ themselves as well as create jobs for others,” she said.
Chitipa Youth Network chairperson Luis Mhango urged his fellow youths to join youth clubs where they can share ideas on entrepreneurships. He said the clubs make it easy for the youth to receive support from government and non-governmental organisations.
In 2019, the African Union set November as an African Youth commemoration month under the theme One Million By 2021: Count Me In, Youths Be An Entrepreneur.
