04 Jul 2016

The Friedrich Ebert Foundation launched its fifth Youth Leadership Training Programme in Lobatse on Sunday and gathered close to 30 youths from across the country.    

 Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s mission is to promote democracy, development, social justice and peace, through capacity-building, policy research, public dialogue and international exchange.

The training programme, which was launched in 2012, continues to benefit a spectrum of civil society establishments such as political, church and non–governmental organisations as well as trade unions and academic institutions. To date, it has been able to graduate 89 young leaders across Botswana.

The purpose of the initiative is to improve young citizens’ participation in the public sphere and decision making processes. Participants will be in Lobatse for a week and undergo training on Botswana’s specific soft leadership content course, covering topics such as international politics, social justice, economic development, sustainability and labour market policy.

Officially opening the training, the private secretary to the Assistant Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Mr Kabelo Matshetshe said with over 50 per cent of her population being youthful, Botswana should have her youth as the vanguard of her democracy, playing critical roles in her democratic activities,

Mr Matshetshe, who was officiating on behalf of the Assistant Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Advocate Sadique Kebonang said youths should be helped to realise their potential and that efforts should be employed to deal with the challenges on the path of their leadership participation.

He said the national principles of democracy, development, unity, self-reliance and ‘botho’ represent a conscious attempt to institutionalise and give practical expression to a set of ideals of governance, adding that a true leader must demonstrate humility and modesty.

“I therefore invite youth leaders of Botswana to uphold probity, sincerity and honesty, for the absence or lack of such values will invariably rob youth development of its essence, making the development of a viable leadership culture impossible,” he added.

Mr Matshetshe said good governance cultivates a consciousness and a strong sense of awareness. 

He said the easiest and most effective way to guarantee the growth of any structure, formation or system, was through meaningful participation of people in all its activities.

Good governance, he said, was not an abstract principle but a participatory, consensual, accountable, transparent, responsive, efficient, equitable and inclusive adhering to the rule of law. He added that it affords a defence against arbitrariness and corruption, and that the fundamental objective of good governance was the nurturing and facilitation of social, economic and political development.

He also noted that correct leadership and good governance cure the development of vices and smoothen relationships and interactions between and among individuals, groups, organisations and institutions in the system.

He implored all stakeholders to harness and cultivate the potentialities of youths in order for them to be channeled towards self-actualisation.

“We must strive to engage the enormous talents of our young generation, a generation that has shown great promise and demonstrated a willingness to initiate, propel and support national development,” he said.

Resident representative of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Botswana, Dr Ulrich Golaszinski said the foundation which was founded by one political party in Germany got invitation from the first president of Botswana, Sir Seretse Khama to open an office in Gaborone and has since been in operation from 1973.

Dr Golaszinski said the foundation has assisted government, political parties, trade unions and other civil society organisation to develop a democratic society based on the values of freedom, equality and solidarity.

He said the foundation has grown its work over time and that they were involved in a number of political reform projects of political parties, trade unions and civil society organisation, with the flagship project being the annual youth leadership training programme.

In the youth leadership programme, Dr Golaszinski said they address some core issues which were relevant for the future of the country, and address topics such as social justice, economic development, sustainability and labour market policy.

The training, he said, looks at the successful development that catapulted Botswana from one of the poorest countries into an upper middle income country that it was today. ENDS