Africa-Press – Zambia. The Republican President and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force, Mr Hakainde Hichilema has appealed to Members of Parliament and other stakeholders to help sponsor candidates for the Voluntary National Service Training Programme, which has already drawn far more applicants than available places.
Speaking at the ceremonial opening of the 13th National Assembly, the Head of State revealed that he is personally sponsoring 200 students drawn from all 156 constituencies and challenged MPs to emulate his example by supporting young people in their respective constituencies.
The President described the training programme as a vital pathway for instilling vocational skills, discipline, and patriotism in the young people.
“When we first spoke about the ZNS Voluntary Training Programme, some thought it was mere pep talk. It is real. We have taken in the first intake, and I am pleased to say it is oversubscribed,” he said.
The Commander-in-Chief highlighted the programme’s proven impact by citing National Assembly Speaker Right Honourable Ms Nelly Mutti, as one of the notable graduates of the earlier compulsory ZNS training and an example of how impactful national service programme is.
“National service training is good training, take it from me. Those of us who went through that programme appreciate its value. You can see the difference in the character of those who trained and those who did not,” Mr President said.
He urged young people across the country to seize the opportunity to attain vocational skills and become productive citizens, stressing that education and practical training remain Zambia’s most important investments
The President lauded the voluntary initiative revived more than four decades after the end of compulsory national service for attracting far more applicants than available places, calling the oversubscription a sign of the nation’s appetite for discipline, skills development, and self-reliance.
He revealed that despite the oversubscription, his administration did not go back to treasury for supplementary funding but was ingenious enough to mop up the available funds within the resource envelope and also ride on support from volunteer sponsors such as himself.
“We were ingenious and financed the programme within our existing envelope, with support from volunteer sponsors including myself,” he said.
Meanwhile Mr Hichilema, has praised the Defence and Security Chiefs for enhancing the country’s food security and combating hunger during times of peace.
The President noted that ZNS in particular, has taken a leading role in enhancing food security, emphasizing that “food security is national security.”
He explained that through the collective efforts of many stakeholders, the country has been able to produce more than enough to cater for both human and animal consumption.
Earlier this year, President Hichilema directed that in periods of peace, the Defence Force should actively contribute to national development, a directive that ZNS is running with.
Meanwhile, the ZNS Commander Lieutenant General Engineer Maliti Solochi II was among the Defence and Service Chiefs that attended the landmark event.
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