Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary, Maambo Haamaundu has revealed that the second cohort of the Zambia National Service (ZNS) Voluntary National Service Training will be recruited this year.
Haamaundu says once the inaugural cohort graduates in April 2026, the selection for the second cohort will commence.
Haamaundu said the first cohort of youths who are being trained at ZNS Chiwoko Training School in Eastern Province, ZNS Kitwe Training School on the Copperbelt and ZNS Chishimba Training School in Northern Province, started training in September 2025 and will graduate in April 2026.
Speaking when he appeared on the Breakfast Show on Radio Phoenix this morning, Haamaundu said the Voluntary National Service Training is a Presidential directive which the Ministry of Defence is implementing accordingly.
Haamaundu said in the first cohort, the Ministry of Defence recruited 1,138 youths more than the 1,092 which was targeted from all the 156 Constituencies countrywide.
He said in the second cohort, there will be no increase in the number of youths to be trained due to the limited capacity of the three training sites to host youths.
Haamaundu said government wants to ensure that all the youths who are trained create jobs for themselves and other youths.
He said government has many empowerment programmes which the youths can utilize to start running businesses.
“With the skills which they get from the training, with the Basic Military Training and discipline, the culture they will have, they will be good employees not just for government but even for the private sector,” said Haamaundu.
He said when government will be employing people in the Defence and Security Wings, graduates of the ZNS Voluntary National Service Training will have an added advantage because they would have undergone training and any employer would want disciplined employees.
This is contained in a statement made available by Paul Shalala, Principal Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Defence.
Francis Chipalo
