Africa-Press – Namibia. PRESIDENT Hage Geingob says young people should start using their qualifications to innovate and create jobs rather than depending on the government for employment.
The president said this at State House during a presidential engagement with the youth yesterday. Geingob urged young people to utilise the opportunities made available by the government to address their challenges.
He said the country’s youth unemployment rate is due to young people having the “wrong mindset”. “More jobs must be created by yourselves, not just by the government … the government is not God. If you are so qualified, why are you looking for someone to employ you? Create the jobs.
“[Rather ask the government] to provide facilitation so that you can create the jobs,” he said. Geingob was addressing young people on the opportunities created by the second Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPPII).
He said the government would not be able to solve the current unemployment problem alone, because it is already trying to reduce the public sector wage bill
He did, however, say no civil servant would be laid off as the government does not want to add to the already concerning unemployment rate. “We are keeping some people in the government because we cannot fire them. We are keeping them to maintain families,” he said.
Geingob urged young people to venture into agriculture to produce food. On a lighter note, he mentioned how he acquired his farm near Otavi. “I bought a stolen farm. We all bought the farms from commercial banks. We bought it to maintain peace. When you own that farm, it is not a joke.
“You don’t just sit on the farm, you will starve . . . Farming is not a joke,” he said. Yesterday’s event was attended by about 170 participants, both virtually and physically, from various regions in the country.
Presidential adviser on youth matters Daisry Mathias said: “It is not only the responsibility of the government to deliver development. Every Namibian citizen has a role to play, and it’s also about identifying our individual contributions as members of the Namibian House.
“We are aware that the HPPII is structured on five pillars to reach our goal of inclusive growth and shared prosperity. The HPPII has about 192 projects,” she said.
The deputy minister of sport, youth, and national service, Emma Kantema-Gaomas, said: “We want the policy to be responsive to the needs of the youth by implementing the four pillars, which are youth education and skills development, youth health and well-being, youth employment and economic growth, and youth civic and political participants,” she said.
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