MINISTER of Youth, Sport and Arts Elvis Nkandu says government has moved from producing job seekers to job creators who can help reduce the levels of youth unemployment in the country.
Speaking when he featured on The Hot Seat radio programme on Hot FM yesterday, Nkandu said the country cannot continue watching graduates add to the already long queues of job seekers when they have the skills to create their own jobs and even employ others.
It is for this reason that government has rolled out the graduate empowerment programme to ensure that graduates are equipped with the tools they need to establish themselves immediately after school.
The Minister explained that the programme is aimed at reducing the number of youths loitering without jobs despite having the skills.
“Graduates don’t need handouts, they need tools,” Nkandu said.
“We want to ensure that as young people graduate, they are immediately given equipment relevant to their training so they can start businesses and grow from there”
Meanwhile, he further revealed that government is targeting over 23,000 youths this year to benefit from the Youth Empowerment Grants, adding to the 9,000 youths who already benifited from the programme last year.
However, Nkandu also fired shots at some councillors who turn empowerment programmes into family affairs, warning that those in the habit of picking relatives and close friends for empowerment opportunities risk being sidelined from future selection processes.
By George Musonda
Kalemba April 30, 2025
