State releases K20.3m youth fund

GOVERNMENT has released K20.3 million Youth Development Fund for 2014, representing a budgetary growth of 81 percent from 2012.
Minister of Youth and Sport Chishimba Kambwili, who announced the development during a press briefing at his office in Lusaka yesterday, said the disbursement of funds will begin on Wednesday next week.
Kambwili said Central Province, which submitted 89 youth groups will be the first recipient of the loans and grants valued at K2.6 million, while Lusaka Province will receive its allocation of K3.08 million on Thursday.
Lusaka has submitted 113 youth groups with the minister assuring that the disbursements will be done in all provinces before the end of the year to enable youths implement their projects.
“All the remaining provinces should expedite the process of identifying, selecting and approving the beneficiaries of the 2014 youth development funds and forward them to the Ministry of Youth and Sport for processing of payments,” he said.
Kambwili warned the provinces that will fail to submit the identified beneficiaries within 10 days that they risk losing out from the 2014 allocation.
He said the youth development fund is revolving and the process for applying for the funds is continuous.
Kambwili announced that government has provided for K29.1 million in the 2015 national budget for youth development fund.
He called upon the youths that have not yet benefited from the fund to submit the applications for 2015 immediately through their respective provincial permanent secretaries.
“I encourage all provinces to ensure the process of identifying and selecting beneficiaries of the 2015 youth development fund is done timely as it is our desire to disburse the 2015 allocation in the first quarter of the year,” he said.
Government has disbursed K30.2 million to 900 youth groups countrywide from 2012.

Zambia Daily Mail