Staff Writer
Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Deputy Minister Kudakwashe Mupamhanga says the concept of green jobs presents a compelling solution in addressing both youth unemployment and environmental sustainability.
Speaking at The green jobs for rural youth employment in Harare, Honourable Mupamhanga said through harnessing the power of innovation, technology and sustainable practices, the country could create employment opportunities that not only provide economic security to the youths, but also contribute to the preservation and restoration our precious natural resources.
“Having a sense of preservation of our precious environment is critically important, realising that we are living on a borrowed environment from our future generations.
“We do not need to be the selfish generation that callously depletes all without any thought for posterity,” Mupamhanga said.
“In my own experience I have noted that poverty and unemployment are major drivers of environmental degradation. CASE STUDY CHESA-KARUYANA AFRICAN PURCHASE AREAS OF MT DARWIN.”
According to the 2022 census, Zimbabwe had a population of 15 178 979 million people, and guided by the same statistics, about 11 033 499 of this population lived in the rural areas. Corroborating the same fact that the majority of the Zimbabwean population live in the rural areas, the World Bank gave the same evidence, saying that about 67.4% of the
Zimbabwean population were living in the rural areas, whilst about 32.3% were living in urban areas.
These statistics show that youths living in rural areas are more than those in other settings.
Hon Mupamhanga said this showed all the more that the process of improving the quality of life and economic well- being of rural population whilst preserving our environment was critical.
He said while we celebrate achievements being made through the Youth Business Units, there was need to accelerate pace to cover as many wards as possible.
“Youth Business Units are more inclusive of all the Not in Education, Employment and Training youths (NEETS) who are in excess of 2million according to ZIMSTAT, need to be increased.
It is incumbent upon us therefore, to ensure that our initiatives are inclusive and equitable, leaving no place and one behind.
“Let us be deliberate and apply affirmative action to achieve equity for the rural youths who seem not to have benefitted much because of their numbers and inaccessibility,” he said.
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