15 Mar 2016

Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi has commended the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture for its determined effort to develop the youth in the country.

In support of the ministry’s 2016/17 budget proposal, Mr Masisi said the ministry has programmes and initiatives dedicated to the youth, hence it deserves praise.

He also supported all the developments that had been put in place for sport development in the country.

Mr Masisi also encouraged the youth, sport and culture minister to make sure that initiatives that had been started were adequately supervised, particularly the Youth Development Fund (YDF).

He pointed out that sometimes there was inadequacy of the background check, feasibility, steadiness and readiness of the applicant for the YDF.

Mr Masisi cautioned officers managing YDF to guard against instances whereby funds are given to underserving people.

Furthermore, the MP for Moshupa-Manyana advised the minister to link the monitoring of the fund to other government policies such as the Economic Diversification Drive (EDD).

“There is no use funding all these young persons, who for example might be buying chicken layers and there is no off take for the eggs, we cannot throw money at problems,” said Mr Masisi.

The Vice President appealed to Minister Olopeng to liaise with ministers of lands and housing and trade and industry to be flexible to the emerging population dynamics.

He added that the Botswana population was growing for the country to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit hence the need for amendment of laws.

Mr Masisi also said the government would continue to support young people in the country as far as ESP was concerned, so that they have an opportunity where “the sun would also shine for them.”  Ends