By CHRISTINE MITTI
A youth in Mbala District has advised young people in the country not to entirely depend on white collar jobs, but venture into agriculture.
A 25 year old, Aligani Sichima, a youth of Kasesha west camp in Chilitula village of Mbala District, in Northern Province has encouraged youths in the country to take up farming as a business, which can help them create wealth.
He said it saddens him to see most of the youths in the district roaming the streets abusing alcohol and drugs instead of engaging themselves in farming activities.
Mr Sichima said, youths should not just sit idle at home, but should find something to do, to keep themselves away from bad vices like stealing, alcohol, and drugs.
He said agriculture can help youths alleviate poverty in the country.
Mr Sichima started business in 2017 after finishing his secondary education. He started buying fuel from filling stations and reselling it to fishermen on Lake Tanganyika. The fuel business boosted his capital and went on to buy cattle from Tanzania and reselling it to butcheries here in Zambia.
In 2020, Mr Sichima ventured into farming after making a bit of capital from his two previous businesses.
He said, the hammer mill is helping him to have extra income to employ more farm workers to help him on his field.
Mr Sichima has urged fellow youths to reduce dependence on formal employment. He said the government and the private sector cannot create employment for all the youths in the country. Youths should use initiative and create their own employment.
He said, youths are supposed to contribute to the growth of the economy in this country and .has since appealed to Government to help him with agriculture mechanization so that he can cultivate on a larger scale.
Mr Sichima `is currently cultivating on seven hectares of land.-NAIS
Author
