Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Office of the Prime Minister in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Youth, Sports and Recreation (MGYSR) have set in motion the efforts to create youth tailored jobs under the project titled Youth Stimulus Employment Programme (YSEP).
The programme is envisaged to absorb about 37 000 youth over a period of three years. This was announced during the virtual meeting last week. The Office of the Prime
Minister Head of Delivery Unit Chaba Mokuku urged the stakeholders to join forces in preparation ahead of the youth summit slated for some time in September.
Meanwhile efforts are underway to mount National Youth Council as the previous one’s tenure without realising its mandate. Mokuku also underscored the need to identify concrete measures which will enable the employment for the
youth. He urged them to focus on “low hanging fruits”. The PM’s economic advisor Dr Maluke Letete said the YSEP will focus on public and civil works component, apprenticeship component and business development creativity and
innovation projects. Dr Letete said the government is expected to provide seed funding for the initiative which will be complemented by the funding from the development banks, development partners,
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and corporates and individuals. Under the programme the PM’s economic advisor said the graduates will receive the stipend of
M4 000 per month, while the diploma and certificate holders are set to receive M2 500 and those with only high school education and lower will walk home with M2 000.
He said the programme will welcome around 12 000 youths annually adding that the recipients’ will each have two-terms of six months participation. Dr Letete said the
programme remuneration will see the participants’ remuneration running north of M1.2 billion over three years and there will be compulsory savings to the tune
of M125.9 million. The Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Gender, Youth, Sports and Recreation (MGYSR) Dr ‘Mamoeketsi Ntho said despite their resolve to pursue youth development and
empowerment, theirs is to facilitate employment not to create employment. The Director of Youth in the MGSYR Lipalesa Lesenyeho said they are in the process of establishing
the interim committee which will be recognised by the cabinet. The committee’s composition will be formed by the nine youth representatives from the business,
Christian Council of Lesotho (CCL), opposition parties, #bachashutdown, two from coalition government parties, tertiary institutions, youth with disability
and contemporary youth development. The YSEP will be chaired by the Government Secretary, Principal Secretaries from MYGSR, Cabinet, Labour and Employment and Small Business.
On behalf of #bachashutdown, Tebello Mokuena thanked the government for recognising their movement in its structures. “The frustrations of youth unemployment are huge and we are definitely feeling the
heat, hence the emergence of Bachashutdown Movement which I am fortunately part of, it is composed of University students, youth in political parties, civil
society, youth in media and individual youth. I therefore want to personally thank the Bachashutdown for standing up and raising their concerns despite the Covid
19 pandemic, it was either we die of hunger and poverty due to strict lockdowns
or we die of Covid 19 while fighting on the streets and we chose to die of Covid 19 despite the eminent danger it posed and that is evidence enough to say
Unemployment and Poverty are also the biggest threat to the youth of this country. “This issue of unemployment is not supposed to be taken for political gain and votes
winning by politicians, we are dying and we need an urgent help!” Mokoena said. Youth unemployment has been a thorny issue in the country which prompted the youth to square up to
government last year, demanding that it declares the youth unemployment an emergency, however that strike was met with resistance from the police which
dispersed the disgruntled youth with teargases along Mpilo road while they were heading to the National Assembly. Some of the programmes which the government mounted in addressing the youth unemployment include the ongoing Youth Apprenticeship and Public Works Programme which is expected to absorb about 3 500 youth.
