Young people in the province are facing major challenges that are a cause of concern to the Limpopo Youth Commission and the provincial government at large. These challenges come as a result of social and economic depression that amounts to poverty, unemployment, HIV and AIDS and lack of appropriate skills.
As a way of executing the Commission’s mandate that of facilitating youth development programmes which relates to education, social and economic development, the commission has organised the 2010 Provincial Youth Empowerment Strategy Summit for 2011-2014.
The theme of the summit “Youth Beneficiation in the economic transformation agenda in our lifetime” has been identified as one of the critical interventions to address youth challenges through interaction and engagement with relevant stakeholders in order to find a way of easing and addressing their plight.
National Youth Policy Development Policy Framework advocates for an integrated approach for youth development, which entails the participation of all key stakeholders within the public service, private sector and non-governmental organisations including other youth political parties.
Limpopo Youth Commission as an advocacy institution mobilised a variety of stakeholders to initiate programmes that will give effect to youth development especially on the economic empowerment of our young people as reflected in the Limpopo Employment, Growth and Development Plan. The commission has afforded 150 young people from all the five Districts in the province an opportunity to participate in the Provincial Youth Economic Summit.
The aim of the summit is summarised as follows:
- To come up with a provincial economic empowerment strategy towards young people
- To create a platform for youth where they can be able to explore economic opportunities that are there in the Province and make use of their advantages in order to participate in the mainstream economy of South Africa
- To create a platform for developing entrepreneurs and small, meduim and micro enterpries (SMMEs) to learn on further method of accessing finance in various funding sectors and provincial departments
- To identify new ways and approach of assisting young people in the province to access funds and enter into the available provincial economic opportunities
- To build young men and women of the province to become successful entrepreneurs in mining, agriculture and tourism sectors
- To foster skills development amongst young people in different trades offered in all private and provincial departments.
The Economic Summit will be addressed by Premier Cassel Mathale, it is expected that all government departments and parastatals will make presentations about the extent they have assisted young people on their various programmes in their institutions. The Commission believes the summit will give the provincial government a mandate to commission a study that will result in the Limpopo Youth and economic Strategy, as a tool to measure youth economic empowerment in the province.
The summit is scheduled as follows:
Date: 23 to 25 November 2010
Venue: Tshipise Forever Resort (Vhembe District Municipality)
For clarity and interviews contact:
Thembi Siweya
Cell: 072 879 1418
Franc Moswane
Cell: 072 378 504 or 082 040 2814
