Lack of employment has been a cause of concern for some time, especially among the youth- having increased further in the past year couple of years.
What has the government done, or what is the government doing to address this shadow pandemic? His Excellency the President Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi outlined in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) the efforts his government is doing to address the situation.
- Since 2019, government has spent over Three Hundred and Thirty Four Million Pula (P334 million) by procuring services from two thousand and fifty three (2 053) youth owned businesses.
- Twenty Two Million Five Hundred thousand Pula (P22. 5 million) used to fund two hundred and Twenty-one (221) Youth Development Fund (YDF) appeals in 2020/2021 financial year. As a result, at least three hundred (300) employment opportunities were created for the youth.
- Citizen Entrepreneurship Development Agency (CEDA) has funded over four thousand (4 000) youth owned businesses, at the value of over Two Hundred Million Pula (P200 million). More than five thousand (5,000) jobs has been created in the process. Moreover, through the Industry Support Facility, the Agency assisted close to thirty (30) youth owned businesses to the value of Four Million Five Hundred Thousand Pula (P4.5 million).
- A whooping amount of Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Pula (P2 500 000.00) has been secured to fund 4 youth cooperatives. The funds secured through government departments partnerships is expected to create jobs in Moralane, Maun, Zutshwa and Kgagodi.
Though the government notes the ways in which the situation of unemployment is being addressed, most young people lament that the main cause which is a stumbling block is lack of land. It has been noted that most businesses require land, either in form of a residential plot or a business plot, to establish, but as it stands most of the youth don’t own any piece of land. This is because in Botswana it takes decades for one to have a plot allocated to them.
