Africa-Press – Botswana. In a presentation to the full council, Principal District Officer Development, Ms Diane Oabile, has underscored the detrimental impact of high rental costs on the operations of the Youth Development Fund (YDF).
The findings were part of the Urban Development Committee report shared during a council meeting on Tuesday.
Ms Oabile noted that a number of youth-led projects had struggled to succeed due to the challenges posed by excessive accommodation costs. However, she encouraged young entrepreneurs to embrace creativity and leverage online platforms for marketing their products, which could enhance their business prospects.
Since its inception, the YDF has funded 728 projects, amounting to an impressive P77.1 million, generating 1 238 jobs. Of these funded projects, 635 had reached the grace period, with 618 currently operational.
Ms Oabile also announced that applications for 2024/2025 funding were open and will close on September 20.
Concerning the poverty eradication programme, the Gaborone District has evaluated 5 197 individuals through the Social and Community Development (S&CD) department. Out of these, 3 567 beneficiaries qualified for assistance, while 1 630 did not meet the necessary criteria.
Ms Oabile revealed that 2 207 individuals have received training, and 2 097 projects equating to 2 115 beneficiaries have been funded. Among these, 336 projects are operational, while 1 754 remain non-operational and seven have failed.
Additionally, Ms Oabile drew attention to the urgent issue of uncollected national identity cards, encouraging residents to collect their Omang cards. She reported that 3 085 cards remain unclaimed, emphasising the importance of obtaining national documentation, especially with national elections approaching in October.
This quarter, the target for eligible Omang registrations stands at 9 800, an increase from the last quarter’s target of 9 755. So far, 9 968 individuals have registered for the national identity card, with 9 424 distributed and 3 085 still awaiting collection.
Regarding Independence Day, Ms Oabile said that each Ward Development Community in Gaborone will receive P10 000 from the council to prepare for celebrations.
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