Financial literacy and management programme unveiled in Zaka
Story by Mercy Bofu-Matinha
HUNDREDS of people in Zaka have registered a first to benefit from the inaugural financial literacy programme unveiled by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe in their area this weekend.
As part of efforts to ensure improved financial literacy among youths and participation in people in the capital market, Securities and Exchange. Commission of Zimbabwe (SECZIM) is embarking on a national campaign engaging schools and communities.
The people of Zaka become the first to be trained and they applauded the programme for capacitating especially in the SME sector.
“We are excited about today’s programme as people of Zaka because we had an opportunity to be taught about how to do our businesses in a professional manner which includes registration of our business, saving and investing,” said one of the community members.
Another added, “I think as school children from a rural background, we usually lag behind on issues to do with business and investments, but with this programme I’m sure it will go a long way in capacitating us with knowledge on capital markets and financial management.”
The programme also saw Zaka schools receive investor education tool kits a development described as bridging gap between rural and urban schools.
“If you look at the country’s National Development Strategy which will lead to the attainment of Vision 2030, there is clarity that we need to ensure financial inclusion of all our communities. The training programme is also critical for our SMEs in rural communities as they are taught the culture of saving,” said Zaka South legislator, Honorable Clemence Chiduwa.
SECZIM director Ms Farai Mpofu said capital market knowledge and participation in the country remains very low at 2%, hence the awareness campaigns.
“The training programme today brings together a variety of stakeholders for the reason that the capital market is complex with tentacles in most spheres of the economy. Again, the toolkit we are distributing is a means to empower community resource persons and teachers,” she said.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s Curriculum Development Unit has since approved the investor education toolkit as a supplementary learning material to be distributed in schools to ensure ongoing financial literacy education training.
