04 Jul 2021

Youth, Arts, Sports and Culture Parliamentary Committee chairperson Mr Yandani Boko says  youth friendly services are critical to promote youth inclusion across all sectors of the economy.

Speaking in an interview during a tour of youth projects in Middlepits, Tsabong and Lobu Smallstock Farm recently, Mr Boko underscored the importance of facilitating them to venture into sectors of the economy.

He said youth constituted the majority of the population hence the need for government to facilitate them towards economic prosperity to improve their livelihoods. He said the Parliamentary committee represented interests of the youth in their quest to realise their potential.

Mr Boko, who is also Mahalapye East MP said government continued to come up with poverty eradication interventions hence the need to legislate on instruments that supported youths. He added that small stock was one of key areas government had invested in, which young people should venture into and make use of facilities constructed to develop the sector.

“We are here at Lobu Smallstock Farm to appreciate small stock and how young people could be facilitated to benefit. Our objective is to make assessments on the ground and come up with youth targeted policies, develop projects that we have assessed and also provide oversight on such issues and advice on budgeting in line with our committee mandate. We also come up with channels of how such projects could be funded,” he said.

He highlighted that after touring, they would take issues to Parliament to come up with policies and interventions addressing youth related matters, adding youths projects faced peculiar challenges especially during COVID-19.

He said it was important for young people to avoid rural urban migration for the reason that opportunities were abound in remote areas, 

“All projects can transform livelihoods of young people. There are many opportunities in remote areas. let’s avoid rural urban migration and venture into these sectors. Opportunities are not only available in cities and towns,” he said.

Kgalagadi South MP Mr Sam Brooks appreciated Parliamentary committee for visiting optimistic that it would bring about much needed transformation on issues of youth. “We hope the committee comes up with policies targeted at transforming livelihoods of the youth,” he said.

He noted that young people funded under Youth Development Fund (YDF) in the district had demonstrated potential in agriculture and small stock sector, adding that he had no doubt that the construction of Tsabong multispecies abattoir would have sufficient supply of stock.

Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Kgalagadi District coordinator, Ms Betty Gaotilwe said youth projects were affected by COVID-19. 

She said the YDF budget was during the 2021/2022 financial year, due to COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the past each constituency was given P2 million which was used to fund 20 projects per constituency, but now projects would be scaled down to 15, she said.

She appreciated Youth Parliamentary Committee for visiting the district, adding that it was encouraging for them to appreciate what the ministry was doing at grassroots level. She said such gave the legislators an opportunity to appreciate first-hand, the challenges faced by youth projects and the positives made.

Such development, she said placed them in a better position to influence policy and legislation on youth development.

The delegation comprised Mr Brooks, Mr Boko, Thamaga/Kumakwane MP Mr Palelo Motaosane, Gaborone Central MP Mr Tumisang Healy, Kanye North MP Mr Thapelo Letsholo and Mahalapye West MP Mr David Tshere. ends