All People Party (APP) parliamentarian Erastus Shumbwa has raised concerns about the high unemployment rate among the country’s youth, saying serious measures are needed to tackle this problem head-on with bigger determination.
According to the latest figures from the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), about 46.10% of the country’s youth are without jobs, while the national unemployment rate stands at 33.40%.
“It is a serious ticking time bomb awaiting to explode right in our faces. As leaders, we must hold hands to find an immediate solution in order to save our nation,” Shumbwa said in his maiden speech while contributing to the national budget debate in parliament last week.
“Let us look at practical long-term solutions both in the agriculture and fishing sectors and in the processing and manufacturing sectors. We are such a vulnerable nation that we import almost everything from our southern big brother, South Africa.”
Shumbwa also used his maiden speech to commend government for a “job well done” in curbing the spread of coronavirus.
“Keep it up and let us as a nation continue to hold hands and face it together. Let us not relax and lower our guard,” Shumbwa said.
He also commended government for the N$750 once-off emergency income grant, which was rolled out to cushion the impact of the Covid-19 on the less fortunate.
“I know, like everything new and untested before, it faces big challenges and has loopholes, which can and must be closed. Many people who applied to the income grant, have up to now not received their N$750. The clouded doubtfulness surrounding payment and or non-payment needs to be cleared sooner than later,” he said.
– ktjitemisa@nepc.com.na