Zambia's government has thrown its weight behind a new youth agriculture programme, declaring that farming is the backbone of the country's economic future and the surest path to jobs for young Zambians. The Pro-Agro Youth Programme was launched in Lusaka on 13 November 2026, with Labour and Social Security Minister Misheck Nyambose announcing that five of the eight pillars of the Grow Zambia Agenda are anchored in agriculture.
The move signals a clear message: Zambia will feed itself, employ its own children and build its wealth from its own soil, not from handouts or foreign blueprints. According to LusakaTimes.com, Nyambose's speech was read on his behalf by Permanent Secretary Zakaria Luhanga at the launch ceremony.
Skills that lead to jobs, not just certificates
Nyambose did not mince his words about the state of training in this country. He told young Zambians plainly that chasing qualifications nobody wants is a dead end, and urged them to look instead at agriculture, mining and other productive sectors where real work exists.
“Training must respond to employers' needs and we must move from training for its own sake to skills that produce employment, productivity and enterprise,” the Minister said.
He stressed that the sector can create jobs, spark enterprise, strengthen food security and push up value addition, especially for young people in rural communities who have waited too long for opportunities that never arrived.
“Our challenge therefore is not simply to train young people, it is to connect skills to jobs, entrepreneurship to markets, investment to employment and agricultural production to value addition,” he added.
The Minister also promised that government will keep strengthening labour market governance, social dialogue, employment services and labour market information so that the shift from classroom to workplace stops being a gamble for graduates. This is not the first time Nyambose has pushed this line. The Zambia Daily Mail reported recently that he described the Grow Zambia Agenda targets as non-negotiable and called labour a critical driver of the country's economic transformation.
Results will be counted in jobs, not photo opportunities
Nyambose set a hard test for the programme. Its success, he said, will be measured by the jobs created, the enterprises sustained, the incomes improved and the opportunities opened to young people. Not by the number of people pushed through workshops or the count of activities listed in glossy reports.
That is the standard Zambians should hold their leaders to. We have seen too many donor-funded programmes come and go, leaving nothing behind but banners and broken promises. This time, the Minister has put the yardstick in writing.
ILO backs the programme with agribusiness hubs
The International Labour Organisation is standing with government on this one. ILO Country Office Director for Zambia and Malawi, Wellington Chibebe, said the programme will tackle the barriers that have kept rural youths locked out of decent employment and entrepreneurship.
“The program will strengthen integrated Agribusiness Hubs in Zambia's Eastern Province, bringing together training providers, employers, financial institutions, business development services and employment services,” Chibebe said, in a speech read on his behalf by ILO Employment Specialist Jealous Chirove.
He noted that the first phase of the initiative already proved the point: give young people relevant skills, business networks and real opportunities, and they will build sustainable enterprises and lift their own communities.
Employers demand private sector muscle
Zambia Federation of Employers President Blake Mulala, whose remarks were read by ZFE Board Member Shupa Munkombwe, called on established agribusinesses and other private players to step up with skills development, mentorship, internships and business linkages.
“Training alone is insufficient to address youth unemployment. There is a need to connect young people to financing, appropriate technology, reliable markets and practical business opportunities,” Mulala said.
He is right. Zambian business owners who have grown fat on this market have a duty to open doors for the young men and women of this country. The ZNBC also reported Nyambose stressing that achieving the Grow Zambia Agenda targets requires a motivated, efficient and productive workforce.
Why this matters for Zambian sovereignty
Let us be clear about what is at stake. A Zambia that feeds itself is a Zambia no outsider can dictate to. Every hectare put under production by a young Zambian farmer is a brick in the wall of our independence. Every processing plant built on our soil keeps value here instead of shipping it abroad as raw produce.
Nyambose has been consistent on this front. News Diggers recently reported his call for the country to identify and develop the critical skills industries need to achieve the Grow Zambia Agenda.
The Pro-Agro Youth Programme now goes to work. The Eastern Province agribusiness hubs will be the first test of whether government, employers and international partners can deliver real jobs for rural youth. Zambians will be watching the numbers: enterprises started, incomes raised, futures secured by our own hands.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Pro-Agro Youth Programme?
It is a Zambian government programme launched in Lusaka on 13 November 2026 to create decent employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people through agriculture, including agribusiness hubs in Eastern Province supported by the ILO.
How many pillars of the Grow Zambia Agenda focus on agriculture?
According to Labour Minister Misheck Nyambose, five of the eight pillars of the Grow Zambia Agenda are centred on the agricultural sector.
How will the programme's success be measured?
Nyambose said success will be judged by jobs created, enterprises sustained, incomes improved and opportunities opened to young people, not by the number of people trained or activities undertaken.