Zomba District Council has appealed to development partners to support youth in Malawi with technical and entrepreneurial skills to make them productive and self-reliant economically.
Zomba District Council Chairperson, Councilor, Bester Chirwa, made the appeal at Ulumba Primary School ground during commemoration of International Youth Day which was held under the theme ‘ Green Skills for Youth Towards a Sustainable World’
Chirwa said that the council through District Youth Office strives to empower the youth through various youth capacity building endeavors.
He said the council fails to reach out many youths with technical and vocational skills programmes due to financial limitations.
Councilor Chirwa therefore commended some of the development partners in the district for complementing the council’s efforts in reaching out to many youths in the district with technical and vocational, entrepreneurial skills.
“Let’s unite in training the youths in technical and vocational skills so that they should be economically self-reliant and that they should also be environmentally friend in their endeavors,” Chirwa added.
Initiative for Community Development Services (INCOS) Executive Director Kennedy Mwalwanda said youths have greater potential to be innovative in carpentry and joinery, welding and mechanical works and other technical vocations.
INCOS supported commemoration of the International Youth Day in Zomba and the organisation observed that there are many child marriages in Zomba because some youths have no technical, vocational and entrepreneurial skills to earn them sustainable livelihood.
District Commissioner for Zomba Reignhard Chavula said Zomba needs to train its youths in various skills so that they should be productive to national development.
The DC acknowledged TEVETA and other partners for training the youth in various technical and vocational skills.
Youth Network chairperson in Zomba, Saudi Mussa said the youth day commemoration provided opportunity for the youths to discuss and exchange ideas on how they should advance their ambitions to become economically productive.
He said economic and social challenges are some of the hiccups that prevent most of the youths from fulfilling their life goals.
