ZIMBABWE YOUTH SECTOR

ABSTRACT 
 

The participation of youth in Zimbabwe can be traced to the time before independence, young people playing a liberation role. After attaining independence in 1980, the post-war government made remarkable steps to institute a ministry responsible for youth and also it was led by a young woman. However, the institutional establishment did not translate to the practical empowerment of young people who now constitutes 67 percent of the total population. The growing poverty in the new millennium, lack opportunities, limited academic freedoms, unemployment, drug abuse, exorbitant health care, human rights abuse and shrinking civic space has epitomized modern-day Zimbabwe; with young people absorbing the brunt of economic collapse. The National Constitution, Section 20 which is within the Africa Union Youth Framework; provides for the effective participation of youth in political, social, economic and cultural affairs of te country. To celebrate the 2nd National People ‘s Convention hosted by the Citizens Manifesto, this paper introduces key fundamentals and solution-oriented interventions on the role of youth in the political economy of Zimbabwe. The paper uses the Youth Development Model (YDM) that spells out the four-lens approach and seven key principles of youth development. Given the contextual reality, the paper argues that practical youth development must involve youth themselves, dealing with institutional deficiencies, and human development must form part of Zimbabwe ‘s conversations. The paper also suggests that human development should be done through, the transformation of the education system to promote innovation, enacting policies that enable youth development, preserving space for collective action and organizing, locating dialogue on the future of work or the decent work and social justice agenda. 

Keywords: Youth, Inclusion, Zimbabwe, Participation, Policies, Citizen ‘s Convention, Agency 

Executive Summary 

The youth bulge phenomenon, prevalent in Zimbabwe where demographically youths constitute 67.7% of the population, has been manipulated by the political elite to perpetuate violent conflicts as youth are more susceptible to manipulation by both politicians and government. Urdal (2006) notes that conflicts occur when the proportion of youth bulge exceeds 20%. The percentage of youth bulge in Zimbabwe exceeds this threshold by over 40%: this at the backdrop of an external debt hovering at 146% of the country’s GDP, over 90% unemployment rate, poor governance and accountability practices, politicization of societal life and dwindling civic voice and trust; has furthered youth marginalization. Youths have thus become a pool for recruitment and conscription into youth militia groups by political parties for deployment to carry out atrocities that further political party agendas. The vigilant groups are known for torturing, intimidating and killing citizens with differing political ideologies. Examples include Chipangano in Mbare, Harare and the Al-Shabab styled organization in Kwekwe in the Midlands Province. Outright manipulation of youth by politicians who promise economic rewards such as employment, land, and pay-outs has seen youths perpetrating violence at alarming rates. Urdal (2006) further states that risk increases under times of political, economic and educational stress, and Zimbabwe has been under such stress for a decade. Consequently, election times in the country have been characterized by a violent contest among unemployed youth across the political divide and marred with outright violence, voter intimidation, and victimization, with youths taking the lead. The growing marginalization of young people in Zimbabwe is not only political but also structural, the political mentality that youth are the leaders of tomorrow continue to shrink the youth space. Zimbabwe ‘s youth development space is epitomized by violations of basic rights, that is lack of decent jobs, exorbitant education, limited access to health care, drug abuse, lack of civic space to innovate and participate. This paper seeks to articulate a solution-oriented approach to these challenges, through raising home ground nuggets and the paper is also raising key questions that need to be addressed to move forward as a country.

Paper published by Citizen's Manifesto written by Misheck Gondo 

For the full paper read here:  http://citizens-manifesto.org/2019/09/19/zimbabwe-youth-sector/