National Youth Council (NYC) executive chairperson Sharonice Busch says Namibia is honest about the socio-economic challenges that it is confronted with, especially on issues of youth unemployment.

 Busch attested that there is an interest in opening up to have a peer review done by other African states on youth unemployment. 

The African continent identified youth unemployment as one of the serious challenges hampering the development of states, Namibia included. 

“Namibia is the first country to have done this review. And this demonstrates that we are honest about the challenges that we are confronted with,” said Busch during the announcement of the APRM task force last week. 

Namibia completed the Targeted Review on Youth Unemployment in 2019, supported by the APRM Continental Secretariat. The Targeted Review Report was peer-reviewed by the African Peer Review Forum of Heads of State and Government on 8 February 2020 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

“The peer review is particularly important because it allows the country to be scrutinised by other African states. In that process, Namibia can learn best-practices and solutions from our African colleagues,” she highlighted. 

According to Busch, the NYC is recognised as one of the strongest youth councils on the continent as far as the structure and approach towards youth development is concerned. 

She said: “No one is left out of the conversation of youth unemployment. So really, my plea to the members of the task force is, let us also improve intergovernmental coordination. Through that, we will have an impact to address the process of raising youth unemployment.” 

Board member of the APRM governing council Kauna Shroder called for cooperation amongst the stakeholders. 

“We tend to operate in silos. To successfully implement the recommendations, this cannot continue. Good governance requires the common ground to work together,” she said. 

Deputy youth minister Emma Kantema-Gaomas concurred with Shroder on the importance of collaboration. 

She feels it is important that all parties collectively work towards creating opportunities and solutions for the youth. “Investing in the youth is a primary undertaking without which the country’s future would be oblique,” she observed. 

The Institute of Public Policy Research stated that by joining the APRM, the government is committing itself to transparent, accountable and participatory governance, which to seeks to promote “African solutions to African problems.”  

- psiririka@nepc.com.na