By Tinashe Muzama
- Introduction
The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.20) Act 2013 Section 20 clearly sets out that the youths are defined as people between the ages of 15-35 years; guided by Africa Youth Charter for which Zimbabwe is a signatory. – According to the African Youth Charter, youth refers to those aged between 15 and 35 years. UNESCO suggests a “practical” definition of youth as the “period a person develops capabilities and social skills required to be ready for financial gain and the responsibility to be brought by the status of adulthood”. The Zimbabwe Youth Policy is in line with the national Constitution on the definition of youth. Section 20 is a component of Chapter 1 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.20) Act 2013 on Founding Provisions. Section 20 sets the youths agenda for the rights of youths in Zimbabwe by stating that the State and its institutions and agencies at every level must take reasonable measures, including affirmative action to ensure that youths have access to education and training, have opportunity to associate and to be represented and participate in political, social, economic and other spheres of life, afforded opportunities for employment and other avenues to economic empowerment, have opportunities for recreational activities and access to recreational facilities and be free from harmful cultural practices and all forms of abuse or exploitation.
Furthermore any country’s social and political terrain is defined and determined by the youths, moreso in the case of Zimbabwe where youths make 67.7% of the population. Youths in Zimbabwe face challenges such as unemployment, unaffordable education, and lack of access to health care due to excessive poverty, forced mobility (migration) due to limited opportunities, child marriages and sexual abuse of young women among others. Youths in Zimbabwe are at the receiving end of poor governance, corruption and to some extent HIV and Aids and high drug uptake (drug abuse). This article will further delve deep to explain further on the challenges bedeviling young people in Zimbabwe. Additionally, it proposes some possible recommendations in addressing youth challenges.
1.2 Problem Analysis
An analysis of the youth situation in Zimbabwe reveals several major problems that affect young people which stem from social, economic, and cultural causes that must be addressed to enhance youth participation, engagement, and empowerment. Youth in Zimbabwe are not a homogenous group. They are affected by a wide range of context-specific problems across geographies, and some of these problems constitute serious obstacles to youth development.
- Main Challenges facing youth in Zimbabwe
2.1 Youth unemployment
In Zimbabwe, youth unemployment is one of the most formidable problems facing the country. Zimbabwe is one of the Sub-Saharan African countries with high levels of youth unemployment. According to the 2015 Youth Situation Analysis conducted by the Ministry of Youth, Indigenization and Economic Empowerment under one of its arms the Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC) with support from UNICEF, Zimbabwean youth, like many young people in the region, face challenges such as: high unemployment rate. The problem of youth unemployment and under-employment in Zimbabwe poses complex economic, social and moral policy issues. The youth are undeniably among the most important formidable force and resource a country can have in order to boost its social and economic development. In addition to being large in number, the youth are energetic and if they are well coordinated and actively engaged in economic activities, could contribute significantly to socio-economic development. The enormity of the problem of youth unemployment has made it a threat to the social, economic and political stability of the country. Economically, youth unemployment has led to labor market instability, increased welfare costs, erosion of the tax base and unused investments in education and training. Socially, youth unemployment is not only of concern to the unemployed but also to the family members of the unemployed and the general society.
Table 1: Youth Unemployment Figures 2019, Zimbabwe
| Nationally | 21% |
| Male | 20% |
| Female | 22% |
| Urban | 17.2% |
| Rural | 24.6% |
Source: Labor Force and Child Labor Survey, 2019
Youth unemployment has contributed to the increase in international legal and illegal migration as unemployed youth go in search of decent employment as well as better life. In the last decade, Zimbabwe has experienced the worst brain drain to other neighboring countries in the region and overseas countries. There are assumptions that South Africa is accommodating more than 2 million Zimbabweans and not including the undocumented. The majority of them who have migrated to neighboring South Africa and Botswana are both skilled and unskilled youth. Youth who are economic immigrants often have to bear the burdens of being used as cheap labor since the Labour laws of those countries do not protect them because most of them are illegal immigrants in the country. The illegal immigration of youth to other countries in search of greener pastures has additionally created problems in the receiving countries. A classic example is the case of South Africa where xenophobic related attacks were recorded because of an increased number of immigrants in the country. Thus, the youth unemployment crisis in Zimbabwe assumes an international dimension (2023 Future Africa Forum).
2.2 Youth Bulge
A phenomena that can be cited as existence or “surplus” of an overactive population of able-bodied young men and women of whom a country’s economic and productive sectors cannot fully absorb. The 2014 Human Development Report cites the current youth population in Zimbabwe (18-35 years) at approximately 67.7 per cent of its 13 million total populations. This presents a youth bulge which is both an opportunity and a potential catastrophe if handled inappropriately. The youth bulge provides a rare opportunity for youth empowerment initiatives to be made in young people focusing on promoting among others, their survival and development.
2.3 Drug Abuse Pandemic
Cases of drug and alcohol abuse among young people in Zimbabwe have been on the rise. Hard drugs like cocaine, crystal meth (mutoriro), home brewed spirits (kambwa), glue, over the counter cough syrups (Broncleer, Histalix), etc. have proliferated both urban and rural communities. Zimbabwe’s illicit substance use problem has increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Porous borders have seen drugs such as bronclee (containing codeine) finding their way illegally into the country in huge volumes. To further compound this, local production is now also rampant with brewed spirits (kambwa), a colorless highly intoxicating drink made from ethanol and emblements powder, which is being illegally manufactured and distributed throughout Zimbabwe. Very high unemployment rates in Zimbabwe, coupled with poverty and despair, have resulted in increasing numbers of youthful citizens also turning to using drugs as a way of entertainment. This has been exacerbated by the ready availability and affordability of these substances to adolescents and youths as they interact within their social circles. Drug abuse among the youth has reached crisis levels, and the number of youths engaging in drug abuse is increasing hourly. Clearly, this is an impending public health disaster. For instance, some of the substances are significant factors for risky sexual behaviour and cardiovascular and neurological diseases, and predispose to short- and long-term psychiatric complications, including addiction, stress, depression, anxiety, suicide and even psychosis. Additionally, drug use has serious socio-economic repercussions and is associated with a higher burden of violent activities, robberies, increased unemployability and the need for rehabilitation services.
2.4 Youth Poverty
A Survey by the International Labour Organization (ILO) has revealed that youths in Zimbabwe are among the world’s poorest, as they are living in an extremely difficult environment. The survey places Zimbabwe in the 75 to 100 category, which relates to working youths experiencing extreme poverty. These are youths earning less than US$2 per capita per day. A life of poverty can put a child’s physical health, social skills, behavioural learning and emotional wellbeing at risk
2.5 Young People With Disability Exclusion
Young People with Disabilities face intersectional discrimination that is as youths and as youths with disabilities. Lack of facilities in public places limits their right to participation. Lack of financial support, representation in decision making, and availability of basic necessities such Braille and Sun Cream for young people living with Albinism are all indicators of the intersectional discrimination that youths with disabilities face.
2.6 Policies and programs that are anti-supportive to young people to realize their rights
There are several policies and programs aimed at supporting young people to realize their rights. However, these policies are on paper and there is no holistic approach to implementing them. Apart from Government, the CSOs, Youth Led Organizations and Business have introduced programs aimed at empowering youth to know their rights.
2.7Information dissemination gap on how youth organizations or youth-led structures are involved in developing and evaluating policies and programmes on youths
The government of Zimbabwe’s commitment to work with and for youths is reflected through the new Constitution under section 20 and the National Youth Policy framework that the government adopted. The National Youth Policy places emphasis on mainstreaming youth throughout all ministries. Its principle guidelines are derived from existing national and international frameworks, such as the African Youth Charter (AYC), the United Nations World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY). However benefits of such frameworks have not cascaded down to improve the livelihoods and lived reality of youths across the country
- Methodology
The study used a qualitative research method, in the form of desk research by analyzing secondary data in the form of books, peer-reviewed articles, and relevant websites.
4.0 Conclusion
The study concluded that there is a need to widen intervention programs for youth in Zimbabwe. Moreover there are other challenges faced by youths; which include, exorbitant education of less quality, limited civic space for effective participation in economic and political spaces i.e. in parliament and political parties, drug abuse, exploitation by politicians for political violence especially during election time, youth migration, lack of clear frameworks for youth development (limited development channeled through partisan lines) and youths in rural areas do not have available opportunities and are side-lined, for example, in support of farming because they lack collateral security.
5.0 Recommendations
5.1 Support structures that promote youth entrepreneurship
There is need for the establishment and strengthening of entrepreneurship education in schools and tertiary institutions to foster the development of an entrepreneurial culture among the youth to facilitate self-employment. Although there are support structures that promote youth entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe, there is still the need to assess the extent to which their contribution can lead to sustainable entrepreneurship which creates jobs for the active population. The current structures that promote youth entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe include the Ministry of Small and Micro Enterprises, Ministry of youth, Zimbabwe Youth Council, vocational training centres and microfinance schemes like the Youth Fund. There are also other structures at Provincial levels and District levels. Therefore the Government of Zimbabwe, ought to fully support and strengthen these structures and put in place mechanisms which will monitor and evaluate whether these structures are benefiting the target group and reaching out to the youths who are in rural areas as well as those who are disabled.
5.2 Research
The unavailability of relevant research into challenges like unemployment facing youth in Zimbabwe has led to a limitation of data to inform the development of viable solutions to resolve the problem. Although data generation may be a costly process for most developing countries, it is very crucial for the effective implementation of policy. Without proper research and authentic data, policies passed may create unintended negative consequences. Only a few developing countries have reliable data on youth unemployment rates. This paper therefore proposes public-private partnerships in data generation and research in Zimbabwe to guide policy implementation. It is recommended that a more quantitative study that will be able to rank the impact of challenges identified should be conducted in Zimbabwe. This will help identify which impediments have more impact and which area or problem needs to be given resource priority.
5.3 Review of the institutional framework and coordination mechanisms
The government and policy makers should review job market laws and regulation in order to promote smooth transition of youth from education to job market. In the case of Zimbabwe, the Indigenization law has to be revised or totally repealed in order for the country to attract foreign direct investment. The law has proved to be chasing away potential investors since its inception. It is important for the government to create specific interventions especially in the creation of more formal jobs and strengthening job market regulation relating to youth to ensure that all youth with education or skills realize their investments in education and contribute to the country’s development.
5.4 Formalization of informal employment
The government should facilitate the formalization of the informal employment sector in order to motivate more youth to engage in different activities which are currently considered to be informal. This will help to reduce the problem of youth unemployment especially on skilled and educated youth in both urban and rural areas.
5.5Decentralization of government programs to rural areas
The government of Zimbabwe identified entrepreneurship as a major policy thrust to achieve economic growth. This is evidenced by a number of institutions that were established by the government to provide funding and improve operational efficiency in the small and medium enterprises sector. The Youth Fund, Community Share Ownership Trust under the Indigenization Act, Zimbabwe Youth Council has reported some recent developments in funding, training and mentorship programs targeting youth in business or those interested in starting their own businesses. This would go a long way in tapping into the potential of the young population. Since the majority of African youth live in the rural areas, it is reasonable to argue that the youth programs should also be concentrated in rural areas.
5.6 Smooth provision of loans to youths
A loan and grant scheme should be in place to assist the needy to finance their education in vocational training colleges, technical colleges and universities. Zimbabwe used to have the cadetship program which used to help students who could not afford university fees. Due to economic and political issues, it does not exist anymore. Such programs including the Presidential scholarship if it was made transparent enough to benefit young people who come from poor backgrounds, will go a long way in boosting the education sector and at the same time, alleviating unemployment in the country.
5.7Skills requirement audit
A skills requirements audit in the economy should be carried out so that education and training respond to the needs of industry. A good example is polytechnics which are still lagging behind in terms of technology. They are churning out students who are incapacitated in terms of current technology because of lack of up to date machinery. This can be attributed to the fall in the country’s economy hence, the unavailability of resources for government to upgrade the infrastructure within colleges and universities.
5.8Establish basic skills programs for unemployed youths
There is need for wide dissemination of the skills requirements of the economy by local councils and parastatals. These can be facilitated by youth development program whose sole mandate is to develop technical, business and entrepreneurial skills for unemployed youths who have no tertiary and advanced secondary education. A good case in point is that of the youth programme in South Africa. It collaborates with parastatals and local councils to open doors of opportunity to young unemployed youths. The Johannesburg Water invited 90 young people under the age of 35 who were interested in plumbing, brick laying and welding to enroll for its basic skills programme for unemployed youth. This is one of the outstanding initiatives which Zimbabwe can adopt in order to reduce youth unemployment.
5.9An urgent review of substance use reduction programmes throughout the country
This is needed to ensure that they are tailored to adolescents and youth, an emerging key population for whom these services are essential. Strengthening social protection provision, substance regulatory frameworks and law enforcement is urgently required to confront this impending disaster. To achieve this, a multi-stakeholder strategic approach for community awareness, legislative changes to ensure harsh penalties for suppliers and expanded juvenile offenders social support are necessary
5.9.1 Abolishing discrimination against young people in the exercise of their rights
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission denotes that, despite the enactment of Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.20) Act 2013 section 20, and the provisions of the Bill of Rights (Chapter 4 of the Constitution), a lot needs to be done to align or review the Zimbabwe Youth Council Act, Chapter 25:19. As the constitution is clear on liberties and youth participation, there is need to remove or repeal laws that limit youth rights such as the Zimbabwe Youth Council Act above, Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), Chapter 10:27 and Public Order and Security Act (POSA), Chapter 11:17. Youth Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are subject to further restrictions through the Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC) Act and Statutory Instrument 14/2013 (Zimbabwe Youth Council (General) Regulations, 2013). Under the statutory instrument, youth organizations are prohibited from receiving any foreign funding. The Parliamentary Legal Committee produced an adverse report on Statutory Instrument 14/2013, where it noted that it contains provisions that are ultra-vires the Enabling Act, the Zimbabwe Youth Council Act. Young people are also restricted in attaining their rights to political participation by the current age limit of 40 years for one to be President as sighted by the Abidjan
Youth Summit Declaration (2017) ahead of the Heads of State and Government Meeting in Ivory Coast – the age limit needs to be lowered mostly in African countries, including Zimbabwe to give young people equal opportunities in leadership.