ZANZIBAR youth have been challenged to strive for selfemployment instead of excessively relying on government jobs.
Second Vice-President Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi implored youth to snub the common perception that “employment is about working in the government,” saying actually self-employment is the best option under the current market situation.
Ambassador Iddi however tasked the ministry responsible for youth to diligently manage and coordinate their development through identification of their unemployment challenges and equipping them with the appropriate skills.
He said the key responsibility of the Ministry of Youth, Culture Arts and Sports is to ensure that the youth’s sectoral needs and expectations are addressed through guidelines, which go in tandem with implementation of the sustainable development goals by 2030.
Launching the Youth Employment Programme (YEP) at Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s (CCM) Kisiwandui headquarters here over the weekend, Ambassador Iddi said for Zanzibar youth to become marketable in the current labour market, they have to sharpen their knowledge and skills through training.
He said the government is in the process of preparing new guidelines for national level development, including the national vision 2025 and CCM election manifesto 2025, with the aim of boosting the national economy through the youth resource.
“The execution of this employment programme is part of the government efforts towards its will to promote skills among the youth who account for over 36 per cent of Zanzibar population,” said the second vicepresident.
He challenged youth to embrace self-employment, arguing that the government cannot absorb all the over 3,000 university graduates who enter the labour market, annually.
“Unemployment is a serious problem because job seekers are many and the government can hardly afford employing them all…there are over 3,000 university graduates entering the market every year,” said the second vicepresident.
Ambassador Iddi, quoting statistics from the labour force survey in 2014, said unemployment among the youth of between 15 and 25 years old is estimated at 2.3 per cent.
Permanent Secretary in the Youth Ministry, Omar Hassan Omar described the programme as testimony to the government efforts to empower youth to live independently.
He said the 12bn/- programme is billed to benefit 3,051 youth in Unguja and Pemba islands through agricultural, industrial and entrepreneurial projects.
