National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Executive Chairperson Yershen Pillay will address the South Africa-United Kingdom Bilateral Forum to be held in Cape Town on 10 September 2013. The address will centre on youth development and entrepreneurship.
The bi-annual forum was founded in 1997 with the aim of strengthening economic and political relations between the two countries and this year the focus will be on the importance of youth employment, the support that businesses, including UK businesses can provide, and the importance of entrepreneurship and small businesses as a route to creating youth employment.
The rationale behind this year’s focus is to discuss challenges relating to youth unemployment and how UK businesses and other agencies can get involved in support for youth development in the country.
The 2013 bilateral forum holds significant importance following the UK’s announcement earlier this year to stop £19 million in development aid to South Africa by 2015. The SA-UK Bilateral Forum has officially been set aside as the appropriate platform for this announcement to be deliberated.
The SA-UK Bilateral Forum will be attended by International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the UK Minister of Foreign Affairs, William Hague; UK Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds; Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Obed Bapela and CEO of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, Tracey Webster.
“This forum poses a great opportunity for the plight of young South Africa to be emphasised on a global level and to set the agenda for essential private, public and civil society partnership to be forged on an international level. We cannot adequately stress the importance of an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to youth development in South Africa,” says NYDA Executive Chairperson Yershen Pillay.
The event will be held as follows:
Date: 10 September 2013
Venue: The Sheraton Westin Grand, Cape Town
Time: 14h00 – 16h30
Enquiries:
Siyabonga Magadla
NYDA Communications
Mobile: 083 686 9016
E-mail: Siyabonga.magadla@nyda.gov.za
