Kanye — The Minister of Health and Wellness and member of Parliament for Kanye South, Dr Lemogang Kwape has commended Boswa Energy Africa (BEA) for its commitment to raise and train 1000 young entrepreneurs.
Dr Kwape said this when giving a key note address at a Kanye Young Entrepreneurs Conference 2020, which was organised by BEA recently. BEA, which is a team that comprises of established business persons, is currently on a mission to empower aspiring young entrepreneurs through provision of a five-year mentorship programme.
“As a collective, we all must find ways of creating employment for the youth. Government is working with the private sector to broaden the employment tent, as it can no longer employ every graduate,” he said.
Dr Kwape therefore advised the youth not to depend on government for employment, but rather explore opportunities.
“Government is the first to admit that there are challenges of unemployment. Our mission is to find ways of resolving those challenges and finding lasting solutions for Batswana, and opportunities such as this one are ideal,” he said.
He noted that youth formed the bulk of the population in the country and as such are the most affected by unemployment.
Dr Kwape said the theme: Raising 1000 Young Entrepreneurs, Training and Equipping our Youth For The Future, was appropriate as young people were on the verge of desperation as they could not find opportunities. He said organising such an event by successful people could bring abundance and therefore implored the youth to take advantage of the initiative.
He also advised them to utilise the opportunity and share ideas with the organisers on how best they can be assisted and utilise the programme.
Dr Kwape thanked the youth for showing up, saying that their participation showed commitment to improving their lives.
“I need to guarantee you that it is not easy, however if you get the good preparation then you will be in a good position to escape the challenges as you grow older,” he said. He noted that the event was an opportunity for him to hear the youth’s thoughts and dreams as they are the ones who will be leading the nation in the not too distant future.
Dr Kwape noted that the Human Development Index (HDI) indicated that Botswana has a good life expectancy and a relatively good education system, so the youth should consider themselves privileged to belong to such a country.
He shared that research indicated that there were certain areas that drive employment creation in the country and the world over, which they could take advantage of such as Information and Communication Technology, service, agriculture and the retail sector.
Dr Kwape further implored the youth to take to heart the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on good health and well-being, as it was necessary for them to be successful.
He implored them to also consider SDG 4, which speaks about quality education and SDG 8, which speaks about decent work and economic growth.
“When we have decent jobs and the economy is growing, then we will all be happy,” he said.
For his part, District Youth Coordinator, Ms Minkie Bokole implored youth to take advantage of the programme, adding that enrolling in the programme could increase their chances of securing funds from CEDA and Youth Development Fund.
Ms Bokole thanked the elders for their presence as they were crucial in encouraging and providing support to the youth.
This news was culled from All Africa
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