Stefanus Nashama
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Peter Katjavivi, on Monday, convened a discussion on youth unemployment with various stakeholders to establish a technical committee to be entrusted with the responsibility of devising strategies to address the crisis in the country.
This will be made possible by identifying unique economic opportunities in the country, formulating actionable policy recommendations, and collaborating with technical and vocational training institutions to enhance the skills and capacities of young people to become job creators.
During his opening remarks, Katjavivi reiterated the importance of a multisectoral approach in tackling the scourge of youth unemployment, adding that Namibia’s future was dependent on the success of young people.
“Our shared purpose is to create a robust framework and strategy that will guide our efforts towards mitigating youth unemployment. Our mission is to set up a strong technical committee made up of representatives from various institutions with the responsibility of crafting a comprehensive work plan for our initiative,” he stated.
Katjavivi noted that the vibrancy and prosperity of the future of Namibia hinge heavily on the success of our youth.
He further noted that identifying unique economic opportunities existing in all regions of Namibia could help in formulating effective policies.
He stressed the need to continuously review progress once the technical committee has commenced its work.
“We are committed to holding regular quarterly review meetings to evaluate the progress of our initiative. These meetings will serve as an opportunity to refine our strategies and ensure we remain on the path towards our goal,” the Speaker said.
National Assembly has already started conducting public hearings on youth unemployment after a motion on youth unemployment was tabled and referred to the committee for further investigation in 2022.
Although youth unemployment in Namibia is believed to be close to 50 percent, Katjavivi recognized the efforts being made by other role players to address youth unemployment.
“I wish to particularly mention the Targeted Review on Youth Unemployment, which was launched by His Excellency President Hage Geingob on the 17th of November 2021. I wish to thank Ambassador Lineekela Mboti and his team for the work they have done to produce that targeted review,” he acknowledged. Stakeholders identified for the committee include the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Ministry of Youth, Sport and National Service, National youth council, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and cultural organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children’s fund (UNICEF), University of Namibia (UNAM) and African Peer Review Mechanism.
