Establish why youths are shunning youth fund,Govt urged

Government has been called upon to address the root causes of why youths in the country are not applying for 2015 Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF).

Youth and Sport Deputy Minister Ronald Chitotela has bemoaned the small number of youths who have applied for the K29 million 2015 Youth Empowerment Fund.

But Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Acting President Isaac Mwanza says Government must understand that the failure by the youth to apply for the funds rests on the fact that the business climate and government policies are not conducive for local entrepreneurs to do business and repay the loans to government.

Mr. Mwanza has called on Government to create an environment that will make it attractive for the youth to obtain the funds and competitively do business in the country especially that Zambia has become a dumping site for low grade and cheap goods.

He says what the Ministry of Youth and Sport must do as a matter of urgency is to consider waiving taxes for startup businesses run by the youth to enable them import the needed machinery and raw materials in addition to tax breaks as the case is with foreign businesses.

He notes that this will ensure that youth who access these funds are able to effectively set up businesses and effectively compete with foreign investors.

Mr Mwanza says the talk of youth empowerment will be rhetoric if government is not putting policies in place to support the youth who are doing business.