Maravi

Govt admits failure to create employment

Govt admits failure to create employment
By Ndinawe Simpelwe
Thu 28 July 2011, 13:59 CAT

LIVESTOCK and fisheries minister Bradford Machila has admitted that the government has failed to address the high levels of unemployment in the country. In an interview, Machila who is also Kafue Constituency member of parliament said creating employment for Zambians was still a challenge to the government.

He said despite the government continuing to build on the legacy left by the late president Levy Mwanawasa, it still faced the challenge of creating employment.

“A lot of work has been done in terms of infrastructure, schools, clinics, hospitals and so forth. But the biggest challenge we are probably facing as government is on the employment side, levels of unemployment that continue to be a big challenge for us and it's not an issue that is exclusive to Zambia but that is a problem that is global by nature,” Machila said.

He said for the time the government had been in power, unemployment levels had remained high adding that government was trying hard to address the challenge.

He said it was government's task to get those that were unemployed and the youths into positions where they could be empowered so that that they could build on their own initiatives.

“In addition to that, we have to continue growing the economy because there has been a lot achieved in the mining sector and in other priority areas such as tourism and agriculture which are being sufficiently targeted,” he said.

However, Machila could not indicate clearly what the government had put in place in order to address the high levels of unemployment once voted back into power.

And Machila said adopted rebel PF members Faustina Sinyangwe and Peter Machungwa have a stiff challenge of winning their seats in Lusaka.

He, however, described the adoption of candidates from the opposition as inspiring for the party because they had worked very well with the government for the past five years.

“I think the decision by the NEC (National Executive Committee) to adopt some members of the opposition parties is a very inspired decision because we have worked with these parliamentarians for the last five years and we have seen the value that they have added not just within the House (Parliament) but also in the committees. Their adoption in Lusaka obviously has posed them a very big challenge but Lusaka is a cosmopolitan city and therefore they will be no more disadvantaged than anyone else for having been adopted in Lusaka.”

Labels: BRADFORD MACHILA, JOBS, UNEMPLOYMENT

posted by MrK @ 2:23 PM