The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) presented its quarter two and three reports to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children, Youth and Persons Living with Disabilities focusing on the programme achievement and expenditure trends of the NYDA in the 2010/11 financial year. The report included the NYDA’s response to the 2011 State of the Nation Address as well as the status of the NYDA’s Provincial Advisory Boards (PABs) appointed last year to ensure proper coordination of youth development in provinces. The Committee was pleased with the progress the NYDA is making including creating or sustaining jobs for young people. The NYDA has created and/or sustained 15, 810 jobs mainly through its enterprise finance and business development services divisions in the current financial year.
The NYDA also issued business funding to the value of R14, 2 million to youth-owned enterprises since March 2010. During the Portfolio Committee meeting the NYDA undertook to finalise the development of an Integrated Youth Development Strategy (IYDS) and officially launch it on 16 June 2011. The IYDS will serve as a guide for all sectors of society implementing youth development projects. The NYDA currently implements projects as articulated in its organisational strategic plan.
At the meeting Portfolio Committee members directed the NYDA to ensure that its presence is felt at all levels of government particularly in provinces where PABs have already been appointed. The Committee advised that the PAB members must be capacitated to ensure that they play an effective role at that level.
In response to the President's State of the Nation Address, the NYDA will create over 26 000 jobs for the youth, about 35 000 microfinance loans will be provided to young people throughout the country. More than 50 000 young people will be enrolled in the National Youth Service Programme. The NYDA will undertake consultative processes and programmes specifically targeting persons living with disabilities. Plans are also in place to support an inclusive growth path including provision of technical skills training to 5 000 young people, training of 20 000 young people in the entrepreneurial and business management skills as well as provision of life skills training to 11 000 young people.
To further improve its accessibility, especially in rural areas, the NYDA plans to open Local Youth Offices in all 283 municipalities. During the year under review the NYDA opened offices in Flagstaff, at the Maponya Mall in Soweto and plans are underway to open offices in Klerksdorp, Welkom, Richards Bay and Tzaneen. The NYDA remains committed to its mandate of promoting youth development in the country and will work towards achieving government’s target of bringing down unemployment to 15% by 2020.
For media enquiries contact:
Siyabonga Magadla
National Youth Development Agency
Cell: 083 686 9016
Email: smagadla@nyda.gov.za
