The government is working hard to bring industry to rural areas. They’ve already set up 429 small businesses in villages across the country. The goal is to help people in rural areas, especially women and young people, to make a living and improve their lives.
Dr. Anxious Masuka, who is in charge of lands, agriculture, fisheries, water, and rural development, told Parliament about the progress on Wednesday. They plan to set up 10,000 of these small businesses by November this year. These projects are meant to help fight poverty, including not having enough food and water.
These village businesses are part of the Rural Development 8.0 plan, which focuses on making agriculture better, bringing industry to rural areas, and following the country’s plan for 2030.
Dr. Masuka said they’ve already set up 429 of these businesses and plan to add 535 more by next week. They’re concentrating on areas with less rain.
The government wants to set up 35,000 of these village businesses and 9,500 school businesses by 2025 to help rural areas grow.
Dr. Masuka also talked about improving water in rural areas. They’ve drilled over 2,006 boreholes all over the country, and 229 of them are now part of these village businesses. He hopes that when people have their own businesses, they can sell what they make and earn money, making their communities stronger.
He wants people to see farming as a way to make money and improve their lives. He asked other Members of Parliament to make sure there’s enough support for these programs. The boreholes they’ve drilled provide water for lots of things, like homes, gardens, fish farming, fruit trees, and for animals.
