Failure to address unemployment, job creation daunts govt

—Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda says failure to address unemployment issues and creating decent and productive jobs has significantly remained a daunting task for the Zambian government as it endeavours to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Mr Chikwanda said on its part, the Zambian government has taken the issue as a priority because it realises that as long as poverty and high unemployment persist, they can be no true peace in the world.

He said this when he officially opened a two day 2014 Poverty Reduction, Equity and Growth Network  (PEGNET) Conference on employment strategies today, adding that the government is undertaking various programmes aimed at ensuring that it delivers on this agenda.

The minister said government has in this regard instituted measures for industrialisation and job creation aimed at improving the living standards of the people.

He said government’s target is to create at least 200, 000 decent and productive jobs per annum.

Mr Chikwanda said as an important step towards achieving this ambitious goal, government has realigned the national development plan to conform to the agenda of promoting growth that supports job creation.

He explained that the Zambian government has also initiated youth programmes aimed at improving skills and increasing resources available to the youth in order to reduce the high level of youth unemployment.

The Finance Minister also underscored government’s resolve to continue to collaborate with the private sector in supporting micro, small and medium enterprises.

He said this is being done through improving access to capital through increased recapitalisation of government institutions charged with this responsibility through various empowerment initiatives for promoting job creation.

Mr Chikwanda said the state is also promoting Zambia as an investment destination by creating and enabling investment environment.

He, however, regretted that productivity in most African countries remains a concern that needs to be tackled as the continent strives to create more jobs.

He said most sectors especially the primary sector such as agriculture continues to register low levels of productivity compared to the western world.

The Finance Minister said this scenario has made African economies less competitive.

Mr Chikwanda further stressed that government is determined to improve the governance of the country through fighting corruption and promoting democratic tenets that include respect for property rights.

And PEGNET Director, Manfred Wiebelt, said creating sufficient, productive and decent jobs is at the heart of today’s development challenge.

Prof Wiebelt said decent work should be a central goal in the post 2015 development agenda to reach the new MDG1 target of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030.