Paheja Siririka

WINDHOEK- She is hard at work endeavouring to transform youth leadership in Namibia. Sharonice Busch says the youth are leaders of today. “We are drivers of change and to create the Africa we want, we cannot leave the youth behind,” said Busch.

Busch is currently the Presidential Aide in the President’s Office and has an extensive background in leadership.

She said the youth should be allowed the space to contribute towards finding solutions to the threats facing humanity. She mentioned that youth leaders have a responsibility to themselves and their constituencies they represent whenever they are given spaces to occupy and to affect change.

She stated the youth ought to influence change and contribute toward outcomes on policies that they deliver. “When we can transform institutions and offices we occupy, we are proving them wrong that we are the leaders of today,” Busch highlighted.

Born two days after independence’s day, Busch said she started her first youth leadership role as a junior councillor when she was in the 10th grade and later on moved to the Children’s Parliament.

Some other notable work is when she was Secretary-General of the Namibian National Students Organisation (Nanso) where she led the students and learners of Namibia as the Chief Administrative Officer for four years. “During this period, we rallied successfully with the Government of the Republic of Namibia to introduce Namibia’s first-ever declaration of universal free primary education, which we successfully did and has been implemented since the year 2014,” she revealed.

 Busch was also elected as Swapo Party Youth League Central Committee member. Furthermore, she is the first Namibian to have been elected as Africa and Europe Regional Representative for the Commonwealth Youth Council. “The Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) is the official representative voice of the more than 1.2 billion young people in the Commonwealth.

She said The CYC works to mobilise the voices of young people and advocate for governments to meaningfully engage young people. “It partners with the Commonwealth Secretariat and other organisations with a focus on youth development,” Busch explained.