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Sikhulekelani Moyo, [email protected]

ZIMBABWE Agriculture Youth Desk is set to be celebrated in Uganda for its sterling contribution to the agriculture sector by implementing various blueprints that promote youth participation in the sector.

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The awards ceremony slated for 15 July is coordinated by Uganda Agricultural Youth Desk.

Zimbabwe Agricultural Youth Desk is receiving an award for Outstanding Contribution to the agricultural sector and implementing various blue prints such as Malabo Declaration that call for youth participation through agriculture.

The country’s agricultural sector is on a recovery trajectory as evidenced by increased production in tobacco, wheat, maize, and horticultural crops as the Government works to enhance food security and nutrition.

This has been possible through the introduction of different initiatives, which include the Presidential Input Schemes and the conservation agriculture (Pfumvudza/Intwasa) which are meant to increase production.

The Zimbabwe Youth Agriculture Desk representatives are in Uganda at the invitation of the Ugandan Youth Desk to exchange programmes that will assist in collaborations and learning from each other.

Recently, Cabinet received and adopted the report on the status of youth focal desks in Government line ministries.

All line ministries have appointed youth focal persons and established focal desks at national and provincial level, as required by section 20 paragraph 1 of the Constitution to ensure youths participate fully in development and empowerment programmes in line with the Second Republic’s policy of leaving no place and no one behind.

Since the desks were established, youth empowerment opportunities had been availed in the agriculture, tourism, mining, manufacturing and social services sectors, youths had been involved in and benefitted from national projects spearheaded by the Government such as national housing, road rehabilitation, public works, and land and livestock reform, and youths have benefited from Government scholarships, education, vocational and life skills training.

Commenting on the developments, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development deputy director Mr Francis Vengai said during the visit, they will tour farms and different institutions that are into value addition.

He said Zimbabwe is looking forward to developing value addition of agricultural products in different agricultural colleges.

“It is an exchange programme worth bringing home and we know our youth are receiving an award now and forever,” said Mr Vengai.

“We are going to visit prominent young farmers who are into commercial agriculture and institutions that are into agriculture doing value addition, which is the area we are looking towards developing at our agricultural colleges and youth hubs where we are going to look at value addition and employment creation amongst our youth.

“We are looking at increasing collaboration with prominent and versatile youths in Uganda and Zimbabwe.”

Mr Vengai said Uganda is a friendly country that is in sync with what President Mnangagwa is preaching about leaving no one and no place behind.

“We are learning from them and we are seeing the fruits of international collaborations and doing business with friendly people, that’s why we are looking for opportunities that are there in Uganda which we can take                     home.

“We have a lot of things that our youths can take advantage of that include food processing, value addition, and employment creation,” he said.

One United Africa president, Mr Nicholas Mudzungwa said there is a need to encourage youths to take agriculture as a business and not as an activity that happens every year.

He said the exchange programme in Uganda is meant to support Government initiatives which include the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1) to enhance food security in Zimbabwe and in Africa at large.

One United Africa is a youth organisation aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and empowerment for youth in Zimbabwe.

“As One United Africa we can support President Mnangagwa’s efforts in a manner that if the youths are involved and educated, we can be able to eradicate things like drug abuse,” said Mr Mudzungwa.

“We are here in Uganda so that we can share information on how Ugandan youths are doing it and how are they succeeding and also learning on various varieties that they have, bearing in mind that Uganda is a tropical veld and they have some varieties we don’t have at home but we can take opportunities to import.”

Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Agricultural Youth Desk chief programmes coordinator Mr Nickros Kajengo said: “The youth are the backbone of the economy and the vanguard of the revolution as they will make sure that the nation gets out of the illegal sanctions through hard-working”.

“It is agriculture that will drive young people out of substance and drug abuse, unemployment, and brain drain.”

He said Uganda fully understands Zimbabwe’s historic land reform programme in the early 2000s and the innovations in Uganda will also assist Zimbabwe to navigate the challenges associated with climate change. — @SikhulekelaniM.