…Mukwita urges youth
Berlin 18.04.2021
Zambia’s Ambassador to Germany, His Excellency Anthony Mukwita has challenged Zambian young people studying in Germany to plan to go into entrepreneurship after their graduation and become business owners.
Ambassador Mukwita told the students to apply to the Youth Empowerment Project hosted by the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development for the funding of their entrepreneurial ideas.
“Instead of seeking to become employees, seek inspiration from individuals that were resourceful and daring enough to start companies such as Investrust, Zambeef, Meanwood, Madison Insurance, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple”, Ambassador Mukwita said.
The Ambassador made the remarks when he interacted with the Zambian students in a virtual meeting co-organized by the Zambian Embassy and the Zambia German Association, ZGA, a voluntary association of Zambians living, working or studying in Germany.
The meeting was part of a series of similar interactive meetings the embassy has lined up this year with the Diaspora to exchange information and ideas that could facilitate the participation of Zambians living abroad in the country’s development agenda.
Moderated by the ZGA Chairperson Mr. Enoch Chota, students shared their plans after their graduation which ranged from setting up their own enterprises and going into formal employment.
Located in both Germany and the Czech Republic, the students are pursuing undergraduate, Masters and PhD programs in disciplines that include agriculture, information technology, economics and medicine.
A follow up interactive meeting with the participation of an expert on youth empowerment from the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development is planned for the next one month.
The Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development is hosting a Multi-Sectoral Youth Empowerment Project valued at K470 million intended to support youth-generated projects covering agriculture, tourism, construction, timber and honey value chain, plastic recycling plants, youth milling plants, manufacturing, youth in transport, energy and many others.
The project is targeted at Zambian young people aged between 18 and 35, an age group that constitutes the majority of the country’s population. Noting high unemployment levels among them, the government of President Edgar Lungu has targeted this age group for a number of interventions that should draw young people into the mainstream of the country’s economic activities.