By Trevor Makonyonga
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched the Local Works Zimbabwe Youth Program, which is set to empower youths the majority of whom are unemployed.
The US$5 million economic empowerment initiative will put youths in the “driver’s seat” of the economy.
Speaking at the Local Works Zimbabwe Stakeholder Meeting, held on October 7, USAID/Zimbabwe Mission Director, Art Brown said that USAID wants the youth to lead in economic matters.
“USAID would like young people to take the driver’s seat. Our approach under the Local Works program is slightly different from the traditional method of development program design and implementation. We want you as young people to take the lead in defining and addressing the diverse challenges you face so that we support you to meet your social and economic needs.”
A statement from USAID explained how the initiative will work.
The statement read, “USAID will facilitate the creation of a collaborative action network of local actors, promote multi-stakeholder dialogue, generate cross-sectoral partnerships, and discover sustainable collaborative solutions to the most pressing challenges identified by Zimbabwean youth. USAID will support young Zimbabweans, along with other local actors – communities, youth networks, organizations, private sector, and others – to set their own development agenda, develop solutions, and ultimately, make those solutions a reality.
“USAID will facilitate the design of the Local Works Zimbabwe Youth Program, and also support the establishment of a Youth Advisory Board, which will oversee the design and implementation of this initiative. This will ensure that youth lead the program and their voice is part of the design, implementation, and monitoring of activities. USAID also intends to engage the private sector, including identifying opportunities for co-design and cofinancing of activities, all while promoting innovation and increased economic opportunities for the youth.”
Focus on young women was also spelt out in the statement.
“Youth, particularly young women, remain more likely to be unemployed than any other group in Zimbabwe. A recent study by the Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust found that 93 percent of young people are not formally employed. In addition, young people have been disproportionately impacted by the economic, educational, and social consequences of COVID-19.”
Since Zimbabwe’s independence USAID has contributed over $3.2 billion in assistance to Zimbabwe which has gone towards food security, support economic resilience, improving health systems and services and promoting democratic governance.
