YOUTH, Sport and Arts Minister Elvis Nkandu says claims that government has done little to address youth unemployment are misplaced, stating that thousands of young people have actually been employed since the United Party for National Development (UPND) came into office.
Speaking during the Sunday Interview on ZNBC last night, Nkandu said critics suggesting that nothing has been achieved were simply trying to remain politically relevant.
The minister explained that a large number of those who have recently secured jobs in sectors such as education and health are young people.
“When you talk about the teachers that have been employed, talk about health workers, talk about those that have been employed in the private sector, you’ll understand that 95 percent, if not 97 or 98 percent, of those employed are young people,” said Nkandu.
He noted that when government assumed office, one of the major challenges it faced was a huge backlog of unemployed teachers and other graduates that had accumulated over the years.
Nkandu said government moved quickly to begin clearing that backlog while also opening up opportunities that had been blocked by previous employment policies.
“From 2010, people were not being employed. So when we came into office, this is what we started with, clearing that mountain of unemployed youths,” he said.
The minister further explained that policy changes such as the removal of the employment freeze helped open up spaces in the labour market that had previously been closed.
Nkandu also said government had deliberately adjusted retirement policies to create room for younger professionals entering the workforce.
“If someone tells you that we have not done anything, then that person is just trying to be relevant, especially in the political space,” said Nkandu.
By Daniel Banda
Kalemba March 16, 2026
