Ministry reiterates national youth council plans

 

Such a council would help the government to overcome various matters pertaining to the mobilization of youths in plans aimed at the development of youths in the country, a senior government official has affirmed.

 

James Kajugusi, the acting director of the Youth Development Department in the Ministry of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports made this observation in Dar es Salaam on the sidelines of an international volunteer day whose national level activities were held in the city.

 

He told The Guardian in an exclusive interview that the government is currently finalizing strategies to set up a national organ which would stand for the welfare of youths regardless of their political affiliations.

 

The position was expressed following demands by the Tanzania Youth Forum (TYF), an organ which for a long time has been urging the government to form a non-partisan body which would look after various challenges affecting youths, including unemployment.

 

TYF through its chairman Fahami Matsawily sent a request to the government almost a year ago to follow examples of Kenya and Uganda which have already established such organs.

 

The annual occasion jointly organized by UN Volunteers in collaboration with the Information ministry in the country was also attended by about four youth volunteering organizations.

 

The latter exhibited products and services to the general public, and are among 34 civil organizations which volunteer activities in the country. They include Restless Development, Volunteers Services Overseas (VSO), Raleigh Tanzania and FourLlife Company.

 

Kajugusi affirmed that forming a youth council follows ratification of the UN Youths Charter 2006, which together with other things requires governments to involve youths in effective economic resources.

 

The ministry is in the pipeline to propose a bill and send to Parliament which would protect the various guidelines helping to lead the processes once it is made to work out.

 

Among the main tasks to be spearheaded by the NYC after its formation is to reduce the rising unemployment rate currently faced by most youths.

 

Together with other things, the council would also ensure youths’ participation in every aspect of national economic development bearing in mind the fact that youths’ contribution to GDP is of   high percentage rates.

 

Youths provide about 75 percent of the total workforce in every aspect of production in areas such as agriculture, fishing, education, industries, mining, livestock keeping, construction and others, the director stated.

 

The National Volunteer Day occasion was under the theme, “the importance of volunteerism for national development” in which youths were urged to enhance the spirit of volunteering in various development activities.

 

In her nationwide message, the Minister for Information, Youth and Culture Dr. Fennela Mukangara said that the government believes that the rate of volunteering among the youths is a factor that enhanced national development goals.

 

Dr. Mukangara reminded youths that volunteering is one of learning resources and that to transfer that experience and knowledge is one way to solve existing economic problems in the fight against disease, ignorance and poverty.

 

Cooperation among youths which could bring positive change of their life and the nation at large is to be encouraged, she said, noting that statistics show that up to mid 2014, youth population in the world was estimated to be about 3 billion and over, greater segment of the total population. 

 

With the number of youths in the world at large, their participation is essential to reach development targets, the minister added.