A nationwide consultation process is gathering input from young people to develop a Youth Empowerment Strategy that ensures their financial and economic inclusion. The initiative seeks to integrate 2.2 million unemployed, untrained, and uneducated youth into national development, aligning with Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 goal of becoming an upper-middle-income economy.
Dr. Blasio Manobo, Director of Strategic Policy Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, emphasized that past youth interventions lacked a clear, guiding framework. “This time, we are prioritizing structured empowerment—ensuring that every young person has a pathway to financial independence,” he stated. The initiative operates under the motto “Marimu Omuyomuyo”, reinforcing the idea that empowerment should lead to tangible economic participation.
With 5.4 million youth in Zimbabwe, of whom 2.2 million are neither in education, training, nor employment, the consultations are a direct response to the growing concern that many young people feel excluded from national progress. “These youths are not contributing to GDP. They are telling us they have been left behind. This process is about bringing them into the conversation and making them part of the solution,” Dr. Manobo explained.
The consultations, taking place across all provinces, aim to gather strategies directly from young people rather than conduct a traditional needs assessment. Their input will form the foundation of the youth sector’s contribution to National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2). Once the data is consolidated, the strategy will undergo validation by government ministries, NGOs, the UN family, and private sector stakeholders, before being submitted to Cabinet for approval. Ultimately, the strategy will be launched by His Excellency, the President, establishing a national framework for youth economic inclusion.
By placing young people at the heart of policy development, this initiative represents a major shift in approach—ensuring they play an active role in shaping their own economic future. With structured pathways in place, Zimbabwe is positioning its youth as key drivers of national development, ensuring that no one is left behind in the journey to Vision 2030.
