Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) parliamentarian Vipuakuje Muharukua said the allocation of N$279 million of the national budget towards the youth ministry, and an average of less than 4% to the agricultural sector constitutes a mockery of any efforts at improving the plight of young Namibians.
He made these remarks last week in the National Assembly while contributing to the motion for the house to debate skyrocketing youth unemployment in the country: “The young people need drastic change as a matter of priority. Government must do it for its young people. We cannot deal with unemployment as we have been for the past 30 years by not injecting enough financial resources.”
Muharukua noted four issues that he said need to be discussed in terms of youth unemployment. These are the importance of availing monetary resources; identifying industries that can absorb the domestic labour force best and how to exploit that sector; whether the Namibian education system equips students with the best skills for the labour market; and lastly, whether Namibia has diagnosed the problem properly by defining employment correctly and in a fashion that compels government to craft policies to encourage the youth not to settle for the bare minimum.
“We must create opportunities in agriculture and value chains with the targeted aim to give the rural youth a shot at a prosperous life,” stated Muharukua.
He added there is a need for structural reforms to better prepare the domestic economy and its human capital component against economic shocks such as the pandemic.
Muharukua noted Namibia has sectors such as agriculture and services that can fix the problem immediately and in the long term.
“The agricultural sector is the backbone of the Namibian economy and the sector has over the years been one of the main drivers that have significantly contributed to the national economy,” he explained.
Muharukua believes the fact that the agricultural sector was the highest importer recording 69.6 % during the second quarter of 2021, provides sufficient opportunity to grow and create jobs.
He stated that small portions of land given to youth to produce fodder, food for consumption, fish and other agricultural by-products, can increase the agricultural exports significantly from the current 13.4 %, and drastically reduce imports.