TAKEAWAYS FROM PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA’S ADDRESS AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE 2025 YOUTH INDABA AT MULUNGUSHI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN LUSAKAADDRESS:
You, the youths, in the previous Indaba, asked us to do something for you, and this is how we have responded to the task you gave us after electing us into office:
1. We have recruited thousands of teachers to address the issue of the teacher-pupil ratio, and that was just the beginning, as we have recruited even more.
2. We have created an online youth portal under the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Arts to allow youths to access opportunities in both the private and public sectors, as well as other vital information.
3. We have allocated more resources towards sports than ever before to support the growth of all types of sports, as every sport is important.
4. We linked youths to a Scholarship Conference in Uganda for young entrepreneurs last year.
5. Over 200,000 youths have graduated through vocational training or skills training for free under the CDF initiative across the country.
6. Over 2 million pupils have gone back to school due to the free education we introduced.7. Even though global politics have changed, we shall ensure that free education and other social justice opportunities continue.
8. Out of the drought we experienced, we found opportunities in irrigation agriculture and the setting up of solar panels so that, in the future, with or without rain, we shall have food.
9. I have given instructions to the Minister of SMEs to increase the allocation under CEEC for youth empowerment to K397 million. Take note that when we took over leadership, it was at K41 million.What is not working in the execution is being addressed, and we are bringing banks on board so that we create efficiency in accessing funds.We have increased the repayment period so that our youths can better manage their businesses.We will come back to you to explain how these systems will work.
10. We have recruited over 17,000 health workers because we want to address the health worker-patient ratio, and this is an ongoing initiative.
11. We have reinstated student meal allowances as we promised you during the elections and have extended them to all public universities.
12. We have over 1.1 million beneficiaries under the agriculture support program because we want youths to also find opportunities in production.
13. We want to change the attitude of citizens towards personal investment.
14. Youths and women asked for inclusion in the governance system, and we shall ensure this happens by having more youths and women in Parliament through constitutional amendments.
15. The President also called on the youth to avoid abusing social media but instead use the internet to bring about positive change.
Conclusion
President Hichilema opted to sit in and interact with youths in an open discussion based on a question-and-answer session.This is a President who is willing to take questions randomly without censorship of those asking