01 Aug 2024

Youth development is critical in recognition of the role played by young people in shaping the future.

This was said by the Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Mr Tumiso Rakgare during a youth engagement programme in honour of the visiting Governor General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Dame Cynthia Alexandria Pratt.

Briefing Ms Pratt on government’s efforts to create an enabling environment for youth empowerment, Mr Rakgare said a number of initiatives had been established, among them the Youth Development Fund.

He said the fund was established in 2009 after converting the Out-of-School Youth Grant Programme where youth were given P50 000 grant.

Minister Rakgare  said since inception, over 11 494 youth projects were funded by more than P1 billion creating 21 262 jobs. 

However, he said the sustainability of the projects and loan repayment was the downside of the achievements owing to various factors ranging from low business acumen amongst the youth, limited capacity to monitor projects and limited funding to provide adequate mentorship and coaching.

On the upside, Minister Rakgare said some youth funded projects managed to swim against the tide and that the success rate was at 78.8 per cent.

He said several initiatives had been devised to increase the sustainability of youth projects such as forming partnerships with the private sector to enhance youth business acumen.  He also said funds earmarked for youth development were transferred to the Ministry of Entrepreneurship to enable the ministry of youth to focus on other youth development spheres.

In the endeavour to place Batswana youth on the same pedestal as the global youth, Minister Rakgare said the 1996 youth policy was reviewed in 2010 and that another was currently ongoing.

Mr Rakgare also talked about the establishment of the  National Youth Council in 1974, with a mandate to serve as the ‘voice for young people’. 

“It was restructured in 2015 to improve its focus and enhance its relevance to the youth development agenda,” he said.

The minister further noted that it was restructured in 2015 to improve its focus and enhance its relevance to the youth development agenda. He also shared that the inaugural national youth policy was developed in 1996 to give direction on youth programming in the country and to align with regional and global aspirations for youth empowerment. 

Youth issues were not adequately addressed during the period, but were later regularised when the then Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture was established in 2007,” he said. He noted that a consultant has been engaged to guide on tapping into current realities and opportunities presented by the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR). 

He said 66 per cent of Botswana’s population was between the ages 0-35 years as established by the 2022 population census. In addition, 34.9 per cent of the 66 per were youth aged between 15-35 years as per the African Union definition of youth which Botswana ascribed to.

For her part, Ms Pratt acknowledged government’s effort to invest in youth empowerment, saying it was commendable.

She said it was important to give young people a second chance to  succeed through programmes that formed part of an ecosystem in order to stimulate the country’s economy. Ends