ZIMBABWE’S drive to promote youth-led economic growth is set to intensify under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), with the Government outlining measures to dismantle long-standing barriers hindering young people in starting and expanding businesses.
According to the Government, youth entrepreneurship has the potential to unlock significant economic value, create employment and reduce social vulnerabilities such as crime and brain drain.
Empowering young people with skills and opportunities allows the country to cultivate a more innovative and self-reliant generation.
In the recently released NDS2, Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube stated that strengthening youth participation in the economy is central to achieving sustainable development.
He said that youth entrepreneurship had the capacity to unlock the economic potential of young people and serve as an avenue for employment, growth, and development.
“Government recognises that youth entrepreneurship has the capacity to unlock the economic potential of the youth and serve as an avenue of employment, growth and development, while enhancing their economic self-reliance and independence that way, thereby serving as an important means of reducing unemployment, crime and brain drain,” said Minister Ncube.
Minister Ncube said several NDS2 interventions will focus specifically on dismantling community and societal-level constraints that continue to limit young people’s ability to participate meaningfully in the economy.
He said some of the barriers limiting the growth of youth enterprises include a lack of entrepreneurial skills and education, a lack of social support, limited access to social capital, limited access to credit, a lack of business support centres and facilities and an unsupportive legal framework.
Minister Ncube noted that without addressing these structural obstacles, the potential of youth will remain untapped.
According to Minister Ncube, a set of targeted interventions will be rolled out to break down the barriers that keep young people from fully participating in the economy.
The reforms will tackle several bottlenecks that include limited entrepreneurial education and skills by introducing practical training and curricula that equip youth with real-world business know-how.
It will also focus on strengthening community networks and mentorship programmes that provide guidance, while platforms that connect young entrepreneurs to industry players, investors, and peers will be created.
The minister said NDS2 will also focus on expanding micro‑finance schemes, guarantee funds, and digital lending options to improve financing availability to curb the limited credit and financial services.
The economic blueprint will direct the establishment of more incubation facilities, co‑working spaces, and technical assistance hubs across regions to contain the scarcity of business support centres and incubation hubs.
Legal and regulatory hurdles will be removed to enable simplified business registration processes.
Minister Ncube said these actions aim to empower youth economically, boost innovation, and drive inclusive growth, aligning with NDS2’s vision of a vibrant, youth‑led economy.
Economist Lancaster Gwende said if effectively implemented, the measures could widen economic participation by enabling more young people to translate their ideas into viable enterprises.
“This shift would boost employment and income levels among youth and increase tax revenues. As more young firms enter the market, competition and productivity rise, driving overall economic growth.
“However, realisation of these benefits hinges on strong co-ordination between government agencies, private sector partners, and development stakeholders to ensure resources reach the intended beneficiaries and that supportive ecosystems and funding mechanisms,” said Gwende.
These initiatives also align with the Government’s broader ambition of boosting employment creation and accelerating progress toward Vision 2030.
The next five years will see the Government roll out specific programmes aimed at equipping youth with practical business skills, improving financing mechanisms, and strengthening the institutional support ecosystem for start-ups.-herald
