Young people in the Hardap region have been urged to take advantage of government programmes that promote entrepreneurship, digital skills, agriculture and job creation.
The call was made during an engagement at Hoachanas, which continued to Stampriet on Thursday, where young people were introduced to available opportunities and encouraged to develop viable business ideas.
Mariental Rural constituency councillor Simon Kooper says their focus is to streamline young people into the process of job creation, helping them own small and medium enterprises, and getting them registered.
He says young people were guided on how to complete application forms, registering businesses and identifying market-related projects that could create employment for others.
“It is also a model of youth creating jobs for youth,” he says.
Kooper says the constituency engaged young people on opportunities such as the National Youth Development Fund and other programmes aimed at helping them achieve economic sustainability.
He also calls on government offices, youth organisations and non-governmental organisations to collaborate with constituency offices to strengthen youth-focused initiatives.
Meanwhile, Siyabonga !Aebeb of the Hardap Governor’s Youth Desk says digital skills were among the priority areas requiring greater attention.
He says the Youth Desk is working towards establishing a computer laboratory to improve young people’s digital literacy and enable them to benefit from online services and opportunities.
“We understand the importance of being digitally skilled in this era, particularly with the growing use of online platforms and social media,” !Aebeb says.
He adds that the Youth Desk also focuses on skills development in agriculture, entrepreneurship, media, creative industries and innovation, while providing career guidance and sharing vocational training opportunities.
!Aebeb says proposed agricultural initiatives would provide young people with practical experience in crop production, vegetable gardening and sustainable agriculture.
“Things do not happen in our lives unless we have hope and trust in our abilities to succeed. You cannot be defined by your situation; you need to be defined by your ability to change yourself,” he says.
The Hoachanas and Stampriet youth also presented potential business ideas they intend to pursue, with stakeholders encouraging them to turn the ideas into viable enterprises.
Among the ideas presented were poultry farming, the production of reusable sanitary pads and soap production.
– Joe-Chintha Garises
