15 Jul 2014

Investing in young people by promoting healthy habits, ensuring good education and employment opportunities, access to health services and social security coverage for all workers is the best investment to improve the lives of future generations.

This was said by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country representative, Ms Aisha Camara-Drammeh at an occasion to mark the World Population Day in Gaborone.

She said investing in young people especially adolescent girls was one of the smartest investments any country could make. “As parents, teachers and leaders of the next generation, they can help break the cycle of poverty, strengthen the social fabric and create a sustainable future,” she said.

She said countries with large proportions of adolescents and youth could reap a demographic dividend for national resilience and sustainability by investing fully in the young people.

Ms Camara-Drammeh noted that Botswana, just like all other countries in the region had a high population of youth, with over 60 per cent of the population below 30 years and 33,5 per cent aged between 10 and 24.

“In order to harness the potential that this youth bulge presents, there is need to respond to a number of challenges that the youth in Botswana still faces such as high HIV prevalence, particularly among young women aged 15-24 years as compared to their male counterparts,” she said.

However, Ms Camara-Drammeh said girls still drop out of school due to early pregnancies. She said even though the country has succeeded in getting its young people to school, proportion of those who have gone through primary education is high.

She added that progression from junior secondary to tertiary education and beyond is not satisfactory and that unemployment remains high among the youth.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country representative said investing in youth means responding to challenges in order for them to be educated, healthy and fully participate in the development of their country.

She further said investing in young people requires that they receive accurate information and services related to sexuality and reproductive health, and that they are empowered with knowledge and skills to protect themselves and make informed decisions in order to realise their full potential and contribute to economic and social transformation of their communities.

Furthermore, Ms Camara-Drammeh acknowledged President Lt Gen Seretse Khama Ian Khama and the Ministry of Youth Sport and Culture for the impressive efforts made on youth development.

“While these are an indication of progress, a lot still need to be done for youth in Botswana,” she said. As Botswana is the only country that has not signed the African Youth Charter in Southern Africa and among the only three countries that have not signed, she therefore urged the government to consider signing it.

She said a lot of the provisions of the charter is already being implemented in the country, and she pledged her full support to the Ministry of Youth Sport and Culture in advocating for the signing of the charter. “We are ready to provide technical support as required,” she said.  ENDS