Harnessing Zambia's Natural Resources - Capitalizing on Country's

Youthfulness to Unleash Zambia's Full Potential

Zambia's population is approximated to be 19,610,769 (Zambia Statistics Agency, 2023), and of

that figure, 54.4% live below the poverty line. Furthermore, an estimated 70% of Zambia's
population consists of young people under the age of thirty (Fhi360, 2022). Recent statistics peg
Zambia's youth unemployment rate at 26.05%, while regionally, in the Southern Africa
Development Community, SADC, the average unemployment rate currently sits at 11.3%
(SADC, 2023). The cost of living in Lusaka - as was assessed by the Jesuit Center for
Theological Reflection - for a family of five, currently stands at K9326.41, and the minimum
wage sits at k1300 (News Diggers, 2022). What this effectively means is that over 7 million
young people in Zambia go to bed hungry every day and without basic needs - because they
lack a source of livelihood - and the powers that be are governing over a very hungry, and
mostly young, population. A deliberate move, or circumstances beyond our control? One would
be forgiven to believe this sad state of affairs is being inflicted upon Zambians on purpose by
the individuals they’ve entrusted to preside over the collective mineral, agricultural, water, land,
wildlife; and energy resources, of which the country has an abundance of. How can we make
use of these set of facts to rid the country of abject poverty and to drastically grow the
economy?

While the government should be commended for the free education policy, reinstatement of
meal allowance in the country's universities, and the increament of CDF, the impact of these
policy shifts in the the last 2 years has been minimal.
Fundamental flaws in how to administrator the higher CDF, and lack of mending the cracks
through which tax payers money leaked into people's pocket in the past administrations, as well
as the present, as it's been increased, means graft won't be curbed accordingly. The
unnecessary bureaucracy surrounding youth participation, and the underhanded tactics of some
council administrators, leaves only politically connected youths benefiting from CDF projects.

The government would also be proud in the collection of loan repayments from bursary
recipients, but most young graduates are suffocated by these loan repayments because of a
scarcity of good paying jobs for the highly skilled young men and women of this country.

Other schemes, such as CEEC, don't go far enough in lifting the livelihoods of Zambia's,
majority of which are youths, because of government red tape. Not very effective in their impact
and scope, but very complicated to get around, or hold of, for the average youths, so has been
governments snake oil to curb poverty and grow the economy.

A simple and straight forward approach is needed to curb poverty and grow the economy.
Every unemployed, poor, Zambian ought to be given farm land to cultivate their own food for
consumption and/or sale, and every citizen that can't farm for whatever reason due to no fault of
their own, needs to be put on a monthly living wage. Government ought to invest, a great deal,
in empowering it's citizens to add value to the projected increased agricutural yields. Loans to
set up factories to process the harvests to various finished products. Citizens interested in
venturing into other fields apart from agriculture, such as mining or tourism, must also be
financially supported by the government.

Allow us, as youths of mufurila, and indeed the country at large, to propose a government
census, or roll call of all the youths, through which the government can collect their details, in
order to receive start receiving government support to farm, make a profit, and live. The mining
sector needs to be reformed for the benefit of the nation. The people of Zambia, through their
government, needs to hold a greater stake in the mines. In days passed, ZCCM owned all the
mines, as a result the government had a larger resource fund to invest in their people through
scholarships abroad to study various fields, and to sponsor multiple social investments.

The youth indaba tries to give the youth of Zambia a voice, but the hope is the input derived
from such exercises is actually refined and put to good use, and isn't just an allowance making
venture for a handful of people.

The challenges that the youth face are vast, and a hands on approach is needed to solve them.
Our tap of resources as a nation is overflowing, poverty should be illegal as a result.