By Aldridge Dzvene | Positive Eye News
In the quiet but determined corners of Zimbabwe’s rural heartlands, a movement is taking root, one that aims not only to empower marginalized young people but to radically transform the socio-economic dynamics of the country’s rural economy. This force is Rural Youths for Economic Development, the latest integrated arm of the Visionaries Youths in Zimbabwe Association (VYZA), a youth-led initiative now firmly anchored in the national development agenda.
Launched under the guiding vision of His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030, the Rural Youths for Economic Development programme is more than just a political alignment; it is a deliberate, grassroots-based framework designed to unlock the full potential of Zimbabwe’s rural demographics, particularly the youth, a group that constitutes over 60% of the national population.
With its mantra, “No Rural Youth Left Behind,” the initiative moves with conviction to answer a national call that has long gone unanswered: the need to equip rural youth with the tools, resources, and voice necessary to actively contribute to national economic growth.
The Rural Youths for Economic Development (popularly known as Rural Youths for ED) is now officially operating under the broader umbrella of VYZA. Its integration into the national structure adds critical value, not only in terms of rural representation, but also in bolstering VYZA’s strategic reach into underdeveloped zones where economic inclusion has long been a distant ideal. With provincial chapters in all ten provinces, and a coordination system that feeds into the VYZA national executive, the movement is structurally poised to deliver at scale.
What distinguishes this programme is its direct, hands-on approach to empowerment. The leadership, headed by a National Coordinator for Rural Youths for ED, focuses on identifying and nurturing economic activities that are feasible in rural settings, ranging from agriculture and aquaculture to entrepreneurship and the development of localized value chains. Where other initiatives have remained urban-centric, this model works within the lived experiences of rural communities.
At the core of the initiative lie five strategic pillars: mobilization, capacity building, economic inclusion, policy advocacy, and unity of purpose. These are not mere buzzwords but operational mandates. Mobilization goes beyond political recruitment; it’s about organizing communities to participate meaningfully in economic opportunities. Capacity building involves delivering mentorship and tailored training to rural youth, often overlooked in national programming. Economic inclusion ensures rural youth are no longer passive recipients of aid, but active participants in production and enterprise. Advocacy guarantees that their interests are represented at national tables. And unity of purpose is perhaps the most ambitious, bridging Zimbabwe’s rural-urban divide through dialogue and shared national goals.
Gugulethu Kumalo, National Chairperson and Founder of VYZA, underscores the point: “This is not just a youth project; it’s a generational obligation. Our job is to ensure that a child in Tsholotsho has the same dream and access as one in Borrowdale. Vision 2030 cannot be achieved in Harare alone.”
Indeed, VYZA’s rural wing reflects a deeper ideological alignment with President Mnangagwa’s push for inclusive development under Vision 2030. Programmes such as these serve as the functional arms of government ambition, translating policy into action and rhetoric into reality. They help build the rural industrial base envisioned in the Second Republic’s economic blueprints, while also nurturing future leaders from forgotten regions.
Yet the challenges remain significant. Resource constraints, infrastructural gaps, and the digital divide still pose serious barriers to the full realization of these aspirations. Many rural communities lack access to basic connectivity, let alone e-commerce platforms or fintech services that could elevate young entrepreneurs. But with innovation, partnerships, and consistency, these gaps can be closed.
It is in this context that Rural Youths for Economic Development becomes not just a programme, but a symbol, of hope, of inclusion, and of a new developmental philosophy that places youth not at the periphery of policy, but at its very centre.
As Zimbabwe moves steadily toward 2030, the real test will not be how well policies are written in boardrooms, but how deeply they resonate in places like Gokwe, Dotito, Chikombedzi and Binga. It is there, in the dusty streets and dry fields, that Zimbabwe’s future is being rewritten, one empowered youth at a time.
Rural Youths for Economic Development is not merely about economic mobilization. It is a revolution in mindset, a declaration that even from the margins, greatness can rise.
