By Robson ‘Nikita’ Chere | Definitions…The United Nations, for statistical
purposes, defines ‘youth’, as those
persons between the ages of 15 and 24
years, without prejudice to other
definitions by Member States.
….Wikipedia defines youth as Youth is the time of life when one is young, and often means the time between childhood and adulthood (maturity). It is also defined as “the appearance, freshness, vigor, spirit, etc., characteristic of one who is young”.
It is of prime importance to appreciate that youth capacitate the greater demography of the economically active citizens. It is through this backdrop that the foundations of every nation are built.
The late former Trade Unionist and Zimbabwean stalwart, Father Zimbabwe Joshua Nkomo once opined that, “…the country will never die, young people will save it”. It was young people who organised themselves back in the days of the struggle for Independence in Zimbabwe and they formed the core of government with the likes of General Mujuru taking the military reigns.
Every nation requires a vibrant youth populace to steer its economy as well as spearhead sensible development. Investment in a sustainable youth populace ensures the continuity of economic growth as well as development, it gives room for innovation and ideas that generationally fits. Youths voice allow the nation to respond to the present day and future trends and taste. Spain is an example of a country that had to appoint a minister of sex inorder to encourage fertility since the greater populace was ageing or already aged hence ending up importing manpower and brains to steer their country forward.
It is imperative to note as a result of this analogy that youths in Zimbabwe can play a pivotal yet crucial role in transforming the nation into positive economic growth.
The Zimbabwean crisis has adversely affected young people more than any other age group. It is the young who have deferred their dreams just to survive. Young people constitute the majority of the population and it is the young who have been scattered all over God’s green earth to eke a living.
Youths in Zimbabwe can centrally contribute to development through adding their voice to matters concerning the economy that is shaping economic policies, budgetary issues, sensible economic recovery road maps, and not withstanding the need to speak against administrative malpractices, corruption, mis-governance amongst other issues.
Currently, in Zimbabwe there is minimal inclusion of youths in governance matters, since youths arw under-represented in Parliament, government agencies, and every crucial areas of the economy.
The majority of youths in Zimbabwe are naive of commenting upon issues of economic development for they have been reduced to merely spectators rather than commentators or players. Of the employed few, the youths composition is very minimal and worrisome.
This degenerates to the discussion on some people overstaying their mandate. In parting, allow me to enlighten the discussion quoting from the contribution of Dr Shingi Munyeza when he said, ” Every generation has a set mandate, which sets up the next generation for success. If it misses its mandate or overstays its season it steals from the next generation and they will be worse off than when the current generation started. It takes magnamity and selflessness to to the next generation for them to run their course and succeed. Its time the older generation sets up the younger generation intentionally, deliberately and purposefully.”