BY CAROLINE NGWENGWE
The Government has launched a National Youth Scheme targeting to benefit 300 youths mostly from the underprivileged families.
Youth, Sports and Arts Minister Elvis Nkandu said about 300 youths were expected to benefit from the national youth scheme which was launched yesterday.
Accompanied by Tourism minister Rodney Sikumba, Mr Nkandu said in Choma during a courtesy call on Southern Province minister Cornelius Mweetwa before the launch that the youths who were expected to put to good use the resources .
He said the ministry had received a grant of K19 million to sort out some of the challenges youths were faced with.
“The issues that youths are raising will be dealt with come January 2022. The ministry has a lot of money in form of grants and we expect more youths to benefit from that grant, “ he said.
He said the new dawn administration was not leaving anyone behind including those that had not entered a classroom.
The minister also urged youths to have a mindset shift ny paying back the money.
Mr Nkandu said youths needed also to be mentored on how to use the funds productively.
Mr Nkandu said tourism was one of the economic drivers for the new dawn administration and contributed about seven per cent to the economy.
He said the ministry planned to open the Southern Province by creating a proper circuit that would enable people stay longer in the province by passing through Livingstone-Dundumwenzi-Kafue National Park to Itezhi-tezhi.
He said by doing so employment would be created for those youths who were operating from bus stops and markets.
He said sports tourism was also another sector that needed to be worked on.
Mr Mweetwa said tourism in the province needed to be expanded beyond the natural sites to include sports as well.
He said the idle stadium in Livingstone if worked on would provide opportunities for sports tourism.
Mr. Mweetwa said the youths in the province were delighted to be among the beneficiaries of the empowerment package under the new dawn administration.
