By: Hertha Ekandjo
President Hage Geingob said that by appointing young people, government has ensured youth inclusion in its executive and legislative arms.
Geingob said this during the occasion of International youth day on Friday.
Geingob stated that young people were making tangible contributions that foster the country’s development in education, business, sports and the arts.
“As a government, the largest percentage of our national budget is dedicated to developing young people in the fields of education, agriculture, entrepreneurship and other fields that are pivotal to our national development,” he said.
According to the President, government has created an environment in which young people can thrive and remain committed to ensure their children and youth a secure setting for learning, development, and growth.
He further said for progress to be meaningful, impactful and sustainable, Namibian youth needed to take advantage of all the government programs and initiatives that seek to advance the interests of young people.
Geingob noted that the youth could take advantage of the government’s Credit Guarantee Scheme,’ which provides collateral for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
“Notwithstanding the progress we have made, we should include the youth in leadership structures so that they can be represented and express their opinions on important subjects,”
he noted.
Moreover, he said that Namibian youth should have a primary responsibility to serve as champions for their own development by fully participating in the socio-economic development of their communities and the country.
Geingob further said that the youth must devise innovative ideas to use their acquired skills to create innovative business ideas.
“Although the government cannot resolve all of the issues that affect young people on its own, both the government and young people need to make a commitment. Namibian youth should foster a culture of unity and nation-building by shunning the “isms” of tribalism, racism and regionalism,” he said.
Geingob said that he assured the youth that the government would continue to live by its responsibilities to accompany and support young people in their endeavours to become productive citizens in the Namibian House.
He noted that the youth made up the largest percentage of the Namibian population which he says makes it a need for the government to continue holding hands and prioritise its young people to becoming generational leaders. ”
“The ministry of sport, youth and national services, as a custodian of youth affairs in the country, has made commendable efforts through the third National Youth Policy on 21 July 2021 under five pillars,” he said.
According to him, the pillars were youth education and skill development, youth health and wellbeing, youth employment and economic empowerment, youth political and civic participation, and emerging cross-cutting issues.
International Youth Day for 2022 was commemorated under the theme “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World of All Ages.”
International Youth Day on 12 August focuses on the difficulties that some young people are experiencing worldwide.
Half the children between the ages of six and 13 lack basic reading and math skills, and childhood poverty is still a prevalent global problem.
International Youth Day was created by the United Nations (UN) to help draw awareness to these issues as we strive to find solutions. It’s a day for reflection but also a day for taking action, so get involved.
It’s an initiative that honours young people’s traits and acknowledges the challenges that today’s fledging youth face.
To support the elimination of these issues, it is important that the youth is able to reach the right resources for education, wellbeing, medicine and more.
International Youth Day began in 2000 and was organised by the UN to recognise young people’s input in education, community development, environmental groups, and volunteering for different social projects.
