03 Dec 2023

Young people have been urged to use their time, energy and talent to contribute towards a better world.

Engaging in chaos and mayhem that has the potential to wipe out the entire human race from the face of the earth would make history judge the youth harshly.

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, who is the Africa Climate Champion made the remarks during his interaction with the young people of the world at the Climate Mobility Pavilion at Expo City in Dubai on Saturday.

According to President Masisi, contemporary youth stand a better chance to make the world a better place to live in than any other generation that ever existed.

“I know you also face challenges but you should take advantage of the enabling environment and ecosystems around you such as ICT to advance your cause and that of your fellow youth and general humanity,” he said.

He said he was particularly inspired by young people who had become solution-seekers and finders in their respective communities and cited Kedumetse Liphi of Ked-Liphi Company from Botswana, which has innovated Chedza solar-powered backpacks.

The backpacks are eco-friendly and useful to learners who do not have electricity in their homes to peruse through school materials, he posited.

All that governments needed to do was to help scale such innovations and ensure they fully benefited from them.

On the inclusion of young people in the building of national frameworks, Dr Masisi was of the view that governments from across the globe should welcome aboard the young and vibrant who he said were endowed with skill and talent that could be of great benefit to their nations and the rest of the world. 

“In Botswana, we believe in young people. We have embraced the notion of mindset change and would stop at nothing to embrace initiatives by young people,” he said, adding that government was more than ready to provide risk venture capital for promising concepts. Ends