THE Ministry of Defence has handed the responsibility of selecting youths for this year’s Zambia National Service (ZNS) Voluntary Skills Training Programme to Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Committees.
Youths itching to grab skills have been told to start polishing their applications because this year’s selection will largely be in the hands of their own community leaders.
Defence Permanent Secretary Maambo Haamaundu revealed that 1,092 youths will benefit from the training, with CDF Committees expected to lead the selection process, especially in Eastern, Copperbelt, and Northern Provinces.
Speaking on ZNBC Radio 4’s Breakfast Show, Haamaundu explained that the move was meant to ensure that the programme reaches deserving youths at grassroots level.
He further explained that agriculture will be a compulsory subject for all trainees, as the government aims to instill agribusiness skills in young people to help meet President Hakainde Hichilema’s directive for the Defence Force to contribute two million metric tonnes of maize toward the country’s food security targets.
“This year’s programme will not just focus on vocational skills but will also make agriculture a mandatory course to instill a culture of agribusiness in our young people,” Haamaundu said.
The six-month training programme will also offer skills in metal fabrication, electrical engineering, plumbing, tourism, artisanal mining, creative arts, shoemaking, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has already released K17.1 million from the 2025 CDF to fund the programme.
By George Musonda
Kalemba July 3, 2025
