mbulelo smpofu
Wallace Ruzvidzo, Harare Bureau
YOUNG people should take advantage of disruptive technologies as these will increase production and productivity across all sectors of the economy, President Mnangagwa has said.
Disruptive technologies are innovations that significantly change the way businesses, industries and consumers operate.
In a speech read on his behalf by Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri at the Third Jobs for Young People and Women, Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo, yesterday, President Mnangagwa said young people and women needed to be equipped with requisite skills to harness new technologies.
Africa was projected to be home to 42 percent of the world’s youth population by 2030, a demographic shift that the President said would reshape global market dynamics by 2050, positioning Africa as home to the world’s youngest workforce and a major marketplace for consumer goods and technology.
“In this regard, our young people and women must be equipped with skills to make use of disruptive technologies brought about by technological advancements taking place day-by-day, globally. If our people can use disruptive technology to their advantage, our productivity as a nation will increase and so will our competitiveness.”
President Mnangagwa said the Second Republic was leaving no stone unturned in empowering young people and women through education and skills development so that the people could continue to compete and seize opportunities availed to them locally, regionally and globally.
“Under our heritage-based Education 5.0 policy, my Government is fostering a system that empowers our learners to produce goods and services through the use of science, technology and innovation.”
Skills development should translate into more “made in Zimbabwe” goods on shop shelves as well as an increase in exports to regional and international markets.
President Mnangagwa reiterated the philosophy, “Nyika inovakwa, inotongwa, inonamatirwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo”.
“I challenge line ministries, departments and agencies, including the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development, the Vision 2030 Movement, development partners and other stakeholders to continue and intensify efforts in identifying skills shortages, mismatches and gaps in all sectors of the economy.
“This skills gap presents both a challenge and an opportunity. For individuals, it entails taking proactive steps to upskill and reskill, making themselves indispensable in a competitive job market. For employers, it demands investing in the continuous skills development of their workforce to ensure they have the talent they need to succeed.
“We should, thus, start witnessing the twining of our learning institutions with industry to ensure that industry and entrepreneurship ready graduates are produced by our institutions of education and training,” said President Mnangagwa.
Government entities, businesses and educational institutions should collaborate and form partnerships to develop inclusive policies. This would help young people to enhance and scout for work-based learning opportunities as well as advocate increased access to internships, apprenticeships and practical training for youth and women, said the President.
The conference ran under the theme, “Aligning education with industry: Bridging the skills gap for the attainment of Vision 2030’s goal of an upper middle income economy status.”
President Mnangagwa said the theme was in line with his Government’s policy on youth and women empowerment through skills development and innovation, enabling them to thrive in a competitive job market and contribute to the sustainable socio-economic development of the country.
The theme also dovetailed with the African Union theme of the Year 2024, “Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century”.
Added the President: “It further advances Sustainable Development Goals Eight and One, which focus on promoting decent work and fostering economic growth, ending poverty as well as achieving gender equity.”
President Mnangagwa commended the Vision 2030 Movement for spearheading initiatives that champion the development of leadership and skills among the youth and women.
“The world of work, under the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is undergoing seismic shifts. Automation and artificial intelligence are transforming industries, rendering some jobs obsolete, while creating entirely new types of modern career fields.
“As such, employers are increasingly looking for youth who are flexible, adaptable, proactive, creative and collaborative. These profound global changes in the use of technology and the nature of work, make development of the right skills a necessity, instead of an option.
“This prepares the youth for the labour market through constantly learning and adapting, as well as acquiring new skills that align with the evolving needs of the job market,” he said.
The Second Republic was committed to enhancing research and development initiatives to ensure that new goods and services were delivered, and production costs were reduced.
Going into the future, the Second Republic planned to continue investing in policies and programmes, which capacitated young people with the requisite skills for success in the ever-evolving global labour marketplace through future-ready skills and addressing how skilling could be scaled up.
President Mnangagwa said it was essential that the nation prioritised collaborations and partnerships through working together to create a cohesive and effective skills development ecosystem.
“Let me reiterate that it is our collective duty to contribute towards the socio-economic development of our nation. Real growth will be achieved if we all participate in activities that promote social cohesion and economic growth, thereby improving the standards of living for all in line with our mantra of ‘Leaving no one and no place behind’,” he said.
Skills Audit and Development Minister, Professor Paul Mavima, said the development of skills was central to the achievement of Vision 2030.
“We were formed following the wisdom of His Excellency the President who realised that the development of skills and competencies is central to the achievement of national aspirations.
“In this particular case to the achievement of Vision 2030. Anywhere in the world, people are embracing the understanding that as we do general education it is actually the skills and competencies that educational architecture builds that lead to transformation, economic development, social development of a nation,” he said.
Vision 2030 Movement chairperson Mr Paul Mavima Junior said the youth were indeed a vital cog in the continued development of the country.
“We share a common goal of the establishment of an egalitarian society within our motherland Zimbabwe.
“We share a common goal of seeing that the leadership of Zimbabwe succeeds, because we owe it to the generation that came before us, we owe it to the generation that is going to come after us, to say that in our time as young people, what exactly did we do? In our time as young people, what did we offer ourselves to Zimbabwe to do?
“I believe it is now our duty as a generation that is economically active now, to say that we are going to emancipate Zimbabwe,” he said.
