Honourable Minister of Youth, National Youth Service, Sport and Culture in Namibia, Comrade Jerry Ekandjo,
Honourable Minister of Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Comrade Collins Chabane
Honourable Minister of Sport and Recreation, Comrade Fikile Mbalula
Honourable Deputy Minister for Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Comrade Obed Bapela
Honourable Deputy Minister of International Relations, Comrade Ebrahim Ebrahim
Distinguished guests, comrades, colleagues and friends
It is a great honour and privilege for me to present to you today this Memorandum of Cooperation between the South African Government and the Government of Namibia. The need for cooperation between South Africa and Namibia on matters of youth development was borne out of the idea that for far too long we have been forging partnerships and implementing youth development programmes with countries of the east and the west not realising that as African States we have much to learn from each other on the continent and especially in the region when it comes to youth development.
Hence the first Youth Development Exchange Programme, a national youth service programme between two Southern African countries was conceptualised under the guidance of Honourable Minister Chabane and his counterpart Minister Ekandjo.
This programme paved the way for a broader agreement on cooperation between Namibia and South Africa on matters of youth development. Youth below the ages of 35 constitute a significant segment of both Namibian and South African societies. However, our youth populations bear the brunt of national challenges such as youth unemployment, poverty, HIV/AIDS, alcohol and substance abuse.
The aim of this agreement is to intensify the National Youth Service (NYS) as a strategy for youth development in Namibia and South Africa. And certainly we have much to share and learn from each other given the highly structured and effective youth service programmes both in Namibia and South Africa. Importantly is the effectiveness and impact of the National Youth Service in both countries to address critical national needs.
Honourable Ministers, upon signing into effect the cooperation before you, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and NYS Namibia will immediately get to work in implementing the first Programme of its kind, a youth service exchange Programme where Namibian and South African Youth will engage in community development work from February 2014 to February 2015. We are therefore proud to say that this will not be a memorandum on paper but an organic, practical and sustainable programme for youth development.
Youth will be trained in vocational training to acquire skills in metal fabrication, plumbing, cabinet making and bricklaying. In South Africa the youth will undergo leadership development training and youth development foundation training. After which they will be deployed to render youth development services to young people walking into NYDA branches countrywide.
As Namibia and South Africa we have a lot to teach the world in the field of National Youth Service but we also have a lot to learn from each other. Recently we shared some of these lessons with others on the continent and organisations such as Innovations for Civic Participation based in the USA at a National Youth Service Learning Forum in Johannesburg. Indeed we are forerunners in shaping youth service to meet critical national needs and foster skills development, job creation, youth entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Minister, far too often the good work and great strides that our respective governments make goes without recognition or praise. It is no crime to tell the truth and praise the grand efforts and bold leadership on such an occasion as we sign into affect a memorandum of cooperation on youth development. In South Africa, approximately 138 000 young South Africans are enrolled into the National Youth Service .
Under the current administration, the last four and half years have seen almost 6 million youth receive some form of assistance from state entities, including loans and vouchers for youth entrepreneurs, bursaries and scholarships for young learners, career guidance, vocational training and skills development.
As we intensity youth development efforts in the region, Young Namibians and South Africans will work together to fight Poverty, Inequality and Underdevelopment. Together we will develop skills through youth service and utilise those skills to build our respective countries thus ensuring peace and progress in the region.
More young people will be mobilised and organised into National Youth Service then ever before.
We hope that this will be the start of developing a generation of volunteers with the Pan African Youth Volunteer occupying the forward trenches.
Honourable Ministers, those are the aims, objectives and goals of this memorandum of cooperation.
I thank you.
