23 Aug 2022

High demand for the Youth Development Fund (YDF) has made it difficult for government to keep up with requests from youth who want to boost their businesses.

Given the status quo, MP for Francistown West, Mr Ignitious Moswaane, has advised youth from Kanana Ward in Gerald Estates to explore ways through which they can get funded.

“You can form clusters of five and receive up to P450 000 funding of which 50 per cent will be a grant,” he said during a kgotla meeting on Monday.

The MP said since government did not have enough funds to cater for all, youth could turn to clusters and pursue several underatakings on textiles, meat processing or gas processing, adding some businesses ventures had not been fully exhausted.

He said the YDF presented many opportunities for the youth as they could start their own business and create employment.

“This financial assistance is not available in other countries and should be used with due diligence,” he said.

He said it was disheartening to see some youth who benefited from the YDF abusing the funds, something that ultimately led to the collapse of their businesses.

He said some youth who were assisted with machines and equipment were not making using them, but instead rented them out.

“If you were given bakery equipment and not using it, it is advisable that you loan it out to others so that you can benefit from it,” he said.

He further advised youth that before they point fingers at government, they should retrospect to see where they went wrong.

On other issues, Mr Moswaane said the road that linked Gerald Estates near Francistown College of Technical Education (FCTVE) and Aerodrome had been approved and was awaiting funding.

When briefing the area MP, Ward Development Committee (WDC) chairperson Ms Oganeditse Keteng said Constituency Community Projects (CCP) had started with the construction of a community hall.

Ms Keteng said the long requested footbridge near Tadabigwa was long overdue adding that students have difficulty accessing the school during rainy seasons.

For their part, residents complained about poor service offered by Botswana Police Service citing that they have on numerous occasions reported a well-known criminal, habitual and repeated offender but no progress has been made to arrest him.

Another resident observed that open spaces have now turned into dumping sites and advised that they be graded and culverts be unblocked as they divert storm water to residential plots. ENDS