A MESSAGE TO ZAMBIAN YOUTH

                                                 
                           by Timothy Kamuzu Phiri and Innocent Kondwani Phiri from Mizu Eco-Care
(Mizu Eco-Care is a Lusaka based environmental conservation that focuses on mindset change through environmental education and the telling of stories from nature. It is also involved in environmental advocacy and the promotion Agroecology, Permaculture and Small Scale Farmers’ rights. Contact email: mizu.ecocare@gmail.com)
Zambian Youths account for about 60% of the total Zambian population. This is the most productive age group at the peak of its powers. There can be no genuine national development without the involvement and leadership of the youth. The Zambian youth are not the future leaders, they must be the leaders NOW-TODAY! Their strengths must contribute to national development NOW!
Zambia’s national development is anchored of Zambia’s natural resources and its environment, which means it is impossible to talk about national development without talking about Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development means other economic sectors such Agriculture, Tourism, Waste Management in the Manufacturing sector must be brought to the fore-we can not rely on Mining anymore if we truly want more youths employed and employed in secure jobs. Green jobs are the present and future of Zambia, so Agriculture must look to Agroecology, Permaculture and Holistic Management for Sustainable Agriculture, Tourism must look to Eco-Tourism and Wildlife Conservation. The manufacturing sector must look to Waste Management- up-cycling and recycling of waste in addition to other areas such as value addition to locally grown raw materials especially indigenous food crops. The potential of the agricultural sector must not be underestimated. It has the ability to employ so many youths and to produce enough raw materials to boost the food processing/manufacturing sector. If the Covid-19 experience has taught us anything, it is that we as a country have the ability to grow most the foods we have previously imported to supply our economy. It is time to empower our own small scale farmers.
For a very long time African leaders have talked about the ‘African Renaissance’ but never really said what it entails and how it will be attained. Well here is the secret… The famous and now much delayed African Renaissance is about African Youth realising their potential and POWER. There is no African Renaissance without African Youth-Period! Zambian Youths and African Youths, please kindly take your position and make the Renaissance and economic boom a reality. This is YOUR time children of the soil and continent.