26 Apr 2021

Youth unemployment is a national crisis which requires all to come up with ideas on how best to address it, says Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Mr Tumiso Rakgare.

Addressing Nata leaders after touring youth projects that had been funded through the Youth Development Fund (YDF) on Saturday, Mr Rakgare said job creation should not be seen as a burden for the government alone.

He said it was important for stakeholders, including parents, to come up with solutions as it not only affected government but also families.

He noted that the majority of young people were educated and that government could not absorb them all.

He called upon  other sectors to step in and create employment opportunities for the youth.

Mr Rakgare also noted that his ministry was mandated to advocate for the youth.

He added that government, through his ministry, had created different platforms which young people could take advantage of and start businesses that would not only employ them, but also create opportunities for their peers.

Furthermore, he highlighted that offices of youth servicing Nata/Gweta, Nkange and Shashe West constituencies had indicated that most of the funded projects in their area were successful, especially in the Nata/Gweta constituency.

He said they were doing better in repaying their loans compared to the other two constituencies.

Mr Rakgare said it was commendable as the returned money was used to fund other youth projects.

He urged village leaders to encourage those funded to ensure that they repayed their loans as per the agreement they signed.

Mr Rakgare noted that it would help boost the country’s economy and their respective areas.

For his part, MP for Nata/Gweta Mr Polson Majaga said for decades Batswana had been relying on government for employment, but that the era had come to an end as the government could not afford.

Mr Majaga said it was important for Batswana to create employment for others through opportunities provided by government, noting that programmes and initiatives were there which needed determination from people so that the country and the others could benefit.

He also encouraged them to form committees in order to benchmark and share ideas of creating new products that would add value to the economy.

 ENDS