Maria David
IN an effort to empower out-of-school girls in Namibia, a total of 55 adolescent girls and young women from six regions have received startup business toolkits.
These regions include Oshana, Oshikoto, Khomas, Kavango East, Kavango West, and Zambezi.
Minister of Sport, Youth, and National Service (MSYNS), Agnes Tjongarero, presented the toolkits in Oshakati on Thursday.
According to Tjongarero, the government is aware of and has been actively addressing the challenges faced by youth in Namibia. She said, “We are cognizant of the fact that more than 40 percent of Namibia’s youth are unemployed – nearly three times the global average – and recent estimates indicate this figure has been growing at an alarming rate.”
She emphasized that her ministry has been focused on developing and promoting tangible solutions to these challenges in collaboration with other government agencies and development partners.
Tjongarero highlighted the government’s commitment to a multifaceted approach, including various interventions such as promoting enterprise development, upgrading skills at different levels, and implementing youth entrepreneurship programs and rural youth enterprises.
She mentioned that their National Youth Policy is centred on mainstreaming youth development in the national development agenda. Thus, Tjongarero called upon key institutions involved in youth development to continue integrating youth development programs within their respective organizations.
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