Chairperson of the National Youth Council, Sharonice Busch says young people have allowed the narrative on issues that concern them to be shaped by others.
“Our lack of involvement has contributed significantly to the disgruntlement we now harbour, even towards ourselves,” said Busch during a recent youth engagement surrounding the Harambee Prosperity Plan II recently launched by the head of state.
She said the Harambee Prosperity Plan II also marks the beginning of the council’s endeavours to lead national discourse from the perspective of young people.
“For us, this means empowering the youth to amplify their voices and to remind them that their input is of paramount importance, especially to the developmental agenda of the country,” said Busch.
Speaking at the same event, Member of Parliament Inna Hengari of the Popular Democratic Movement said there is an obvious divide between the rural and urban youth and that leads to the inequalities that exist in the country.
Hengari said whether structural or systemic, these inequalities are a reality for most young people in Namibia.
“A significant percentage of young people in Namibia are based in rural areas with little to no access to employment and education opportunities,” Hengari told Youth Corner.
She added that the role of young people is more than just advisory and observatory and they must be allowed to proactively take part in the developmental agenda.
“It is up to us; young people who have been empowered to serve in high office, to organise ourselves in a manner that we can advocate, agitate for those who cannot be where we are because of the existing structural inequalities,” expressed Hengari.
She stated that employment creation does not only mean that government should solely create jobs, “what we mean rather is for government to create an enabling environment accessible to both rural and urban youth, where young people are capacitated to become employers and not employees, to decentralise opportunities and even institutions of learning to improve and afford young people access.”