President Hage Geingob has applauded Namibian youth for their activeness and for being meaningful participants in the political, cultural and socio-economic architecture of the country, further pledging to do more for them.
He said the government is dedicated to fostering partnerships with stakeholders who share the passion and dedication for inclusive growth.
“Our commitment as a government is to ensure that consistent with our National Youth Policy, our young people remain central to Namibia’s development agenda and constitute important human capital whose potential will continue to be leveraged,” he said in a statement while observing Africa Youth Day yesterday.
He said: “We have to stress the need to advance our economic development in a manner where no one is left out, particularly in supporting the youth in their endeavours and creating a conducive environment where our youth can become productive citizens and flourish in the Namibian House.” Geingob added that Namibia is motivated by the undaunted spirit of many young people today who, despite many challenges, continue to work towards the attainment of Vision 2030 and the aspirations of Agenda 2063.
“Namibia continues to invest extensively in education and skill-building activities for its youth. Namibia continues to advocate for gender equality and increase opportunities for young people to participate in civic and political life, as well as be integrated into decision-making mechanisms,” he stated. The African Youth Charter, adopted in 2006, proclaims 1 November as Africa Youth Day, and in 2022, given the new contexts for the youth landscape on the continent spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic, the commission is celebrating youth in the entire month of November.
Under the theme ‘Breaking the Barriers to Meaningful Youth Participation and Inclusion in Advocacy’, the African Union states that the theme is a resounding call to all youth development stakeholders - governments, international organisations, development partners, private sector, civil society, and all African youth on the continent and in the diaspora.
Geingob admitted there are various
challenges facing the youth, which is holding them back from reaching their full potential and their ability to make meaningful contributions to driving sectors of
the African economy. “The voices of our youth, their actions, and their advocacy, as well as their engagements, should be a beacon of hope for positive change in the development of our continent,” he
said.