Despite government’s efforts to curb youth unemployment in the country, Mzimba district is registering an increased rate of unemployment among young people.
According to statistics released by M’mbelwa district council, youth unemployment rate in the district is estimated at 23.4 percent.
This situation has affected Mzimba district heavily as it is experiencing an increased number of crime rate among youth.
Going by the statistics released in 2017 by Mzimba police station, the district is registering many criminal cases involving young people which have led to several youth being imprisoned.
Mzimba police station public relations officer Peter Botha linked some of the crimes to unemployment and others to poor parental care.
As one way of controlling the projected youth unemployment rate in the district, M’mbelwa District Council has revealed plans to increase the number of youth accessing microfinance services by 15 percent by the year 2022 as outlined in its District Development Plan.
Speaking in an interview, District Programs Director Precious Kansinsi noted with great concern that the district population is largely dominated by the youth and there is need for investment if the district is to transform economically.
“Mzimba as a district is failing to progress with developments due to lack of investments among the youth as several of them are unemployed. There should be investment among these youth so as to transform the economic status of the district,” said Kansinsi.
Chairperson for Mzimba Youth Organization Moses Nkhana welcomed the development stressing that this was what his organization was anticipating so as to prevent youth from committing crimes that can ruin their careers.
Nkhana also commended M’mbelwa District Council for the initiative saying this will initiate development in the district.
The next step in the formulation of District Development Plan (DDP) is the presentation of the draft to District Executive Committee (DEC) for technical input.
