At
last the government has resolved to establish a National Youth Council (NYC)
which would help overcome various matters pertaining to the development of
youths in the country, a government official has said. The acting Director of
youth development department in the ministry of Information, Youth, Culture and
Sports James Kajugusi said in Dar es Salaam during the International volunteer
day whose climax celebrations was held at a national level last week in Dar es
Salaam. He said in an exclusive interview that, the government is currently
finalizing the strategies it had put in place in order to accomplish the need
of having a national organ which would stand for the welfare of youths in the
country regardless of their political affiliations. The government’s decision
has come about after the cry by the Tanzania Youth Forum (TYF), a youth organ
which for long had been urging the government to form a non partisan body which
would look after various challenges affecting youths in the country including
unemployment. TYF through its Chairman Fahami Matsawily sent a request to the
government almost a year ago to follow the examples of Kenya and Uganda which
have already established such organs in their respective countries. The annual
occasion which was organized jointly between UN Volunteers in collaboration
with the Information ministry in the country was also attended by about four
youth volunteering organizations. The organizations exhibited their products
and services to the general public, and are among the 34 civil organizations which
volunteer their activities in the country. They included Restless Development,
Volunteers Services Overseas (VSO), Raleigh Tanzania and Four life Company. Kajugusi
further clarified that, the decision by government to form a youths’ council has
come in thought after the government had ratified the UN Youths Charter 2006,
which together with other things wants governments to involve youths in
effective production of national resources. He also noted that, the ministry is
in pipeline to propose the bill and send in Parliament which would protect the
various guidelines that would help lead the processes once is made to work out.
Minister for Information, Youth and Culture Dr. Fennela Mukandara
He said among the main tasks to be spearheaded by the NYC after its formation
is to reduce the rising unemployment rate which currently is faced by most youths
in the country. Together with other things, the council would also ensure
youths’ participation in every aspect of national economic development bearing in
mind the fact that youths’ contribution to the GDP is of the high percentage
rates in the country. In this, he clarified that youths provides about 75
percent of the total workforce in every aspects of national production in areas
such as agriculture, fishing, education, industrial mining activities,
livestock keeping, construction and many others for national economic growth. The
national volunteer day occasion which was celebrated under the theme, “the importance of volunteerism for national
development” called on youths in the country to have a spirit of
volunteering for the country’s economic development. In her message to the
nation, the Minister for Information, Youth and Culture Dr. Fennela Mukandara
said that, “the government believes that the rate of volunteering among the
youths is a factor that leads to the national development goals”. Dr. Mukandara reminded youth that volunteering
is one of the learning resources for human life and that to transfer that
experience and knowledge is one way to solve the existing economic problems which
are exacerbated by the fight against disease, ignorance and poverty. In view of
this, Dr. Mukandara has insisted cooperation among youths which could bring
positive change of their life and the nation at large. “World statistics has
shown that up to mid 2014, total youths population in the world was estimated
to be about 3 billion and over. With the greater number of youths in the global
sphere, their participation is very essentials to reach development targets”, Dr.
Mukandara noted.
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