YOUTHS have been urged to fully explore business opportunities offered under the government’s economic blueprint ZimAsset instead of adopting a lukewarm approach.
CHIEF REPORTER
Scores of youths drawn from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Gweru, Masvingo and Harare attended a two-day symposium organised by the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) that ended in the city on Friday.
The symposium was being held under the theme “Assessing the ZimAsset as a panacea to socioeconomic challenges faced by youths”.
The youths expressed frustration at the policy document saying it was imposed on them without consultation and they were struggling to associate with it.
They said the government should abandon the document and craft a new one.
However, academic Butler Tambo and economist Nqobizitha Dube said although the blueprint was problematic in its implementation, the youths should not force the government to discard it.
“It would not be feasible to implement ZimAsset in its current form. In terms of funding, the document is pinning on Brics nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). But currently those nations are facing their own challenges,” Tambo said.
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“We are not going to get much cash from South Africa as it is facing its own economic challenges. There are ongoing strikes in the platinum mining sector which have a negative impact on the economy.”
Tambo said abandoning ZimAsset now was not an option.
“Youths should find their place in the blueprint. Instead of abandoning the document, you should be identifying areas to participate in. You should be demanding quarters in all sectors of the economy. You should demand to offer procurement services for big companies,” he said.
Dube concurred with Tambo adding that abandoning it would be a monumental mistake and have a huge bearing on the future.
“Look at what happened during the land reform. Though chaotic in implementation, some youths participated and took farms and benefited,” Dube said.
ZimAsset is a five-year (2013 to 2018) economic blueprint extracted from the Zanu PF election manifesto that focuses on four pillars — food security and nutrition, social services and poverty reduction, infrastructure and utilities and value addition and benefication.
The government requires at least $27 billion to fund projects under ZimAsset, but it has been struggling to attract the required funding largely due to policy inconsistences.
