07 May 2018

Over 300 youth in Palapye constituency converged on Palapye Technical College on May 5 for a week-long business seminar with the goal to tackle youth unemployment.

Speaking at the seminar which ends May 12, the MP for Palapye, Mr Moiseraele Goya said not all would be employed by government and that unemployment could not be the sole responsibility of government alone.

Mr Goya, who is also Assistant Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, said one of the aims of the workshop was to nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship among young people.

He said the best option was to divert the focus of young people from being job seekers to job creators.

Mr Goya said this could be possible if the youth were capacitated to become successful entrepreneurs.

He expressed hope that the workshop would teach them the secret of business success.

He said to start and sustain a business was no picnic as discipline, sacrifice, resilience, courage, bravery, humbleness, and confidence were required.He added that above all an innovative spirit was required and he quoted Marcus Garvey when he said “if you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.”

Mr Goya urged the youth to take the seminar as a stepping stone into business, adding that it took hard work and a never say die attitude to prosper in business. He said a successful completion of a business training course could not perform miracles.

The assistant minister reminded the youth of President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s vow when he was sworn in as head of state.  “One of my top priorities as the President of this country will be to address the problem of unemployment, especially among the young people who constitute the majority of our population.

The young people, who make 60 per cent of the population of this country are the future leaders and therefore investing in them is building the bridge to the future,” he said.

He said it showed government commitment in addressing youth unemployment.

The MP noted that government efforts to assist youth included affirmative action and youth exemptions in support of youth businesses. He noted the 50 per cent charge on youth procurement of tender documents and for youth owned companies for PPADB registration.

Reservation on micro procurement where 20 per cent quota was reserved for youth and continuous review and improvement of the Youth Development Fund.

Mr Goya said as the area MP, he came up with the idea of running workshops for the youth in Palapye in 2014 with the intension to empower them. He said unemployment and poverty remained on the government priority list.

Assistant executive coordinator for the Youth Centre Organisation (TYCO) and organiser, Mr Botsalo Morotsi said since the formation of TYCO and introducing the seminars in 2014, they had engaged various stakeholders to learn more about different sectors, and that they managed with the assistance of their MP.

Mr Morotsi said their efforts were bearing fruit because the youth were enjoying assistance from organisations such as CEDA, LIMID and YDF.

He urged the youth to knock on every door and explore opportunities available to them,  adding that they stood to benefit if they worked together.

Specially elected councillor, Ms Elizabeth Gabathuse shared that she started a business at the age of 30 and created employment for many people, some of whom had now joined government and the private sector.

She said they could also be employers of the coming generations as long as they utilised available government schemes meant for them. Ends