Rural youth are the hardest hit by unemployment among young people at a staggering 52%, opposition MP Inna Hengari stated in the National Assembly yesterday, in her notice of a motion about youth joblessness. Hengari, calling it the biggest crisis of this generation, said the motion speaks directly to the livelihoods and wellbeing of young people. She said creating opportunities for the rural youth and making rural life and jobs more attractive will require tapping into the potential of the agricultural value chain. It will also require understanding the opportunities and challenges of food and agriculture systems to build a rural economy, Hengari added. The electrification of rural villages and informal settlements in urban areas, she said, is needed to give young people a chance to venture into business. She said institutions such as vocational training centres should teach young people how to commercialise their skills and access the needed funding to start small businesses. In his budget speech for the 2022/23 financial year, the Minister of Finance said that a deliberate attempt has been made to fund youth-focused programmes. Iipumbu Shiimi said money has been set aside in the budget to finance youth-owned businesses through the Development Bank and the Agribank, preferential treatment for businesses owned by young people in government tenders and the expansion of vocational training centres to accommodate more students.