Chilanga Town Council has allocated over K5.6 Million Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to 247 youth for Skills Development bursaries in 2025 alone.

Speaking during Youth Day commemoration yesterday, Chilanga Town Council Chairperson, Champion Tembo, says the council awarded 243 secondary school bursaries between 2022 and 2025, with 127 students benefiting in 2025 alone.

He said through the free education policy and increased CDF, the district has seen remarkable progress in youth development initiatives.

Mr Tembo pointed out that young people need economic opportunities to apply their skills and sustain themselves thus 5,975 young people benefited from the Cash for Work Programme between August 2024 and January 2025.

He added that over K7, 000, 000 was injected into the local economic programme.

“12,238 beneficiaries were employed for the Cash for Work Programme between August 2024 and January 2025 of which 5,975 beneficiaries were young people and K7, 342, 800 was injected into the local economy,” said Mr Tembo.

And Chilanga Constituency Member of Parliament, Sipho Hlazo, retairated the government’s commitment to youth development through various programmes, such as the Cash for Work Programme and Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Mr Hlazo encouraged the youth to take advantage of the empowerment programmes and change their mind set by shifting the focus from demanding handouts to programmes that sustain them.

He also encouraged the youth to step up and actively participate in the decision making process so that their voices can be heard and valued.

“The government has shown commitment to engaging with young people through initiatives such as the National Youth Indaba where they can interact directly with the Head of state and offer feedback on National issues.