Zanzibar plans 70,000 decent jobs for youth, Sh47.3 billion loans scheme

Unguja. Ministry of Youth, Employment, and Empowerment has introduced eight priorities including coordinating access to 70,000 decent jobs for all in coordination with stakeholders within and outside Zanzibar.

Also, empowering 28,339 citizens economically by offering loans with soft conditions worth Sh47.3 billion.

Those were presented on Saturday, June 6, 2026, by Minister Shaaban Ali Othman while presenting estimates of revenue and expenditure of the Ministry at House of Representatives in Chukwani, Unguja, in Zanzibar.

Minister Othman stated that to implement these priorities in financial year 2026/27, the ministry has requested House of Representatives approve Sh19 billion.

“The Ministry will coordinate access to 70,000 decent jobs for all in collaboration with stakeholders inside and outside the country,” said Mr Othman.

He said during this period, they will coordinate and manage youth development activities and empower them by building capacity to improve economically, socially, and politically.

Additionally, enhancing youth councils operationally and promoting participation and inclusion of youth in various opportunities through national, regional, and international levels frameworks platforms.

He said another priority is strengthening development of cooperative societies in the country, strengthening, and establishing electronic systems that interconnect for data collection (database).

Empowering 28,339 citizens economically by offering soft loan facilities worth Sh47.3 billion funds programme scheme.

Preparing and revising policies laws, regulations, guidelines, and ministry strategies as well as enhancing conduct of research, monitoring and evaluation and strengthening relations and cooperation between ministry, institutions, local and international stakeholders inside and outside the country partners were the other priorities.

The Economy and Investment Committee Chairperson, Mr Makame Mohamed Sufiani, stated that the committee urges ministry to provide accurate data on current status of progress on that strategy so society can understand government efforts in addressing youth employment issues in the country.

Zanzibar development plan has set-up robust strategies to build friendly and enabling environment for development and welfare of youth where among those strategies is reducing problem of unemployment from 19 percent in 2020 to 10 percent in 2025.

“The committee urges the ministry to have long-term plan for conducting studies on challenges facing youth in country,” he said.

He said the committee has also advised government to make changes to youth policy to align with the present time, noting that the present document is outdated.

In another recommendation, the ministry called for proper management of existing challenges in procedures for registering cooperative groups including shortage of cooperative officers in districts to ensure that those groups operate their activities according to law.

Also the committee advised the ministry to speed up establishment of special system to be used in conducting verification of loan repayments from stakeholders receiving services.