Government has launched a rural development programme called Youth Build Zimbabwe, in which it will engage youths to provide labour in projects such as roads rehabilitation.
The programme is being spearheaded by the District Development Fund (DDF), in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment.
Speaking at the launch of the programme, Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs Advocate Martin Dinha said it was aimed at refurbishing roads damaged by rains during the last summer season.
In a speech read on his behalf by the provincial administrator, Mr Cosmos Chiriga, Adv Dinha commended DDF and the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment for coming up with such an initiative.
“This launch of the Youth Build Zimbabwe has come at a time Zimbabwe has experienced incessant rains in the past 2016-17 season which damaged most of our roads to the extent that they were no longer passable and many communities were cut off,” he said.
“It is against this background that the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment forged a Youth Build Zimbabwe with the District Development Fund to find strategic programmes to expedite road construction and maintenance works to repair the extensively damaged road infrastructure through the involvement of our youths.”
Speaking at the launch, head of DDF in Mashonaland Central Mr Clement Mutombo said the programme was expected to go a long way in rehabilitating the roads network.
“Under this arrangement, DDF is to identify the projects to be implemented, specify the type of skills needed and agree on the number of participants per project, depending on the scope of work to be done,” he said. Mr Mutombo said the province required more than $4 million to repair the damaged road network.
“The province experienced wash- aways for the past 10 years, but severely this past season, hence most of the roads were damaged to the extent that they are not passable and communities were cut off,” he said.
Mr Mutombo said the 20 youths recruited for the initial project on the Hora Drift-Mupandira Nyaure Road would be provided with the necessary clothing and food, while the balance of $2 900 would be shared among them at the end of the project.
He said the youths were expected to finish the project within 60 days. Mr Mutombo said DDF faced a number of challenges which included unavailability of supervision vehicles and ill-equipped workshops, while there was no drilling unit in the province.
“Recapitalisation of DDF should be a priority in Zimbabwe,” he said.
“If funds are made available, DDF can construct schools, clinics, piped water and irrigation schemes.” herald
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