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Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
THE Government is working on having a National Youth Centre in every province at a time graduates are set to increase from slightly over 300 last year to more than 1 200 this year.

The plans are in response to President Mugabe’s call for the resuscitation of the National Youth Service.

Speaking at the 21st February Movement celebrations last month, President Mugabe said the re-introduction of the National Youth Service would help mould disciplined and well-focused youths who are productive and ready to defend their country.

Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister Cde Patrick Zhuwao told Senators on Thursday that his Ministry was working on having a National Youth Service centre in each and every province.

He said there are six National Youth Service centres countrywide at the moment.

“Madam President, I also want to inform the House that when we started the National Youth Service in 2015, we had 109 graduates and in 2016 we had 302 graduates. This year, we are looking at about 1 260 graduates… We also want each province to have a National Service Centre,” said Cde Zhuwao.

The Minister said they were working on empowering youths through technical skills.

“Also looking at how our economy is growing, we want our youths to be empowered for them to venture into businesses. As a Ministry, we have 42 vocational training centres.

Also, we have plans that in our 210 constituencies, each constituency should have a vocational training centre,” he said.

On Wednesday, Youth Indigenisation and Empowerment Development Deputy Minister Retired Major Mathius Tongofa said Government had created more than 93 000 jobs for young people in the country through young entrepreneurs who have benefited from the economic empowerment revolution.

He said his ministry had come up with a publication called ZimCHEER Herald that outlines the ministry’s initiatives to acknowledge and celebrate young entrepreneurs who are innovatively contributing to the country’s economic transformation.

“Pursuant to this, the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Empowerment Development will be celebrating Zimbabwe’s champions and heroes of the economic empowerment revolution. During the last quarter of 2016, the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, through all of its youth officers spread across all the country’s wards, districts and provinces, identified 39 385 young entrepreneurs who have created a total of 93 692 jobs,” he said.

— @AuxiliaK.