23 February 2007
Mafikeng â The North West Department of Agriculture, Conservation and
Environment, in partnership with the provincial Youth Commission and the three
District Municipalities, namely Bophirima, Bojanala and Southern, will be
hosting District Youth in Agriculture Summits, starting from next week.
With the theme Renewing our Pledge by Deepening Youth Participation in
Sustainable Agriculture, the three spheres of government hope to encourage
youth to be active in matters relating to agriculture.
These district summits follow a process that the department began last year.
The department held a meeting late last year in the Central District, during
which youth were presented with existing sustainable opportunities in the field
of agriculture.
"We made a promise last year that the other districts will follow, and now
their time has arrived. We want all our youth in the North West province to
have a common understanding of how the government's youth programme can better
improve their lives and the general economy of the province," explained MEC for
Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Mr Mandlenkosi Mayisela.
The targeted youth categories for the summit are as follows:
* unemployed agricultural youth graduates and diplomats
* young people from existing youth projects
* organised agricultural youth clubs
* pupils with secondary education who have passion for agriculture
* physically challenged youth
* young farmers from white communities
* rural youth with passion for agriculture
It is envisaged that the summit will better youth participation through
sustainable agriculture and rural development.
"We believe that the future of agriculture will be doomed if our youth are
not proactive and for them to be at the level that we wish for, they need to be
informed of the value of agriculture and the difference it can make in their
lives. We also hope that at the end of these high-level meetings, our youth
will be equipped with adequate information that will inspire them to take
advantage of opportunities," expressed MEC Mayisela.
The district summits are a build-up to the Provincial Youth in Agriculture
summit to be held toward the end of March 2007.
Members of the media are invited to the Youth Summits as per the following
details:
Bojanala District
Date: 28 February 2007
Venue: Royal Bafokeng Conference Centre
Southern District
Date: 05 March 2007
Venue: Ballroom hall, City of Matlosana
Bophirima District
Date: 09 March 2007
Venue: Banquet Hall, Naledi Municipality
All meetings will start at 08h00.
Contact :
Ms Lesego Mncwango
Tel: 018 389 5768
Cell: 082 220 6367
E-mail: Lmncwango@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, North
West Provincial Government
23 February 2007
