Youth Stimulus Package Coming, Says Siliya

Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Dora Siliya has confirmed that the government is working on a stimulus package to respond quickly to the challenges facing young people in Zambia.

Ms Siliya said the government was aware of the difficulties young people are experiencing, particularly with regards to the coronavirus and the effect that lockdown has had on young people in business. 

The minister said that President Lungu and his government would be working to find a solution to these socio-economic challenges soon. 

The statement followed a meeting between Ms Siliya and other government ministers about how to respond to the various socio-economic conditions affecting youths in Zambia. Also present were Youth and Sport Minister Emmauel Mulenga, Livestock and Fisheries Minister Nkandu Luo, Gender and Child Development Minister Elizabeth Phiri, and Community Development Minister Kampamba Mulenga. 

Mr Mulenga said that young people had demonstrated a keen desire to be involved in Zambia’s governance, something which he said was provided for under Constitution Amendment Bill 10. 

He explained that the controversial bill wold redress the problem of youth representation as it calls for every political party to have a certain number of youth members in parliament.

Ms Mulenga also pointed out that her ministry was attempting to engage youths through support programmes and social cash transfers, to help alleviate the difficulty of job losses due to Covid-19. 

The ministers’ comments come after vehement anti-government protests in Lusaka on Monday, in which many young people criticised government corruption and heavy-handedness.