The youth is a strategic resource and an intellectual reservoir of ideas essential for moving the country forward, says the Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga.
"Our youthful population represents a blessing with limitless potential--a strategic asset for the current and future well-being of this country and continent," Chikunga said.
Delivering a keynote address at the South African Youth Economic Council (SAYEC) 3rd annual job imbizo, held at Melrose Arch on Thursday evening, Chikunga argued that while the current socio-economic conditions pose a direct threat to national stability and undermine future prospects, it is not the youth who are a threat to national security.
According to Chikunga, the conditions under which the youth continue to exist, create opportunities for both known and unknown threats to emerge and become institutionalised.
"Without a more purposeful, quantifiable, and deliberate investment in their potential and capabilities, South Africa will not be in a position to reap the benefits of its demographic dividend.
"No country on earth has been able to industrialise or re-industrialise while neglecting the role of youth in the economy. A trained, capable, and industrious youth is the crucial ingredient currently missing in South Africa's industrialisation puzzle," Chikunga said.
She emphasised that placing the youth at the centre of re-industrialisation must be accompanied by fundamental changes in the structure, systems and institutions.
This must also be accompanied by fundamental changes in patterns of ownership, management, and control of the wealth producing resources in favour of all South Africans, particularly the marginalised, vulnerable and poor, who are primarily Africans and women.
She said youth participation in the economy should not be reduced to hopping from one internship to another.
To prepare the youth for meaningful participation in South Africa's era of industrialisation, the Minister stressed the need for a reimagined industrial strategy that is both fit for purpose and responsive to rapidly changing global economic patterns.
"These patterns range from automation and the rise of artificial intelligence in manufacturing to the ongoing geopolitical realignment. Such a strategy should be anchored on robust economic and market intelligence in order to enhance the quality of decision-making in support of our goals of productivity, industrialisation, commercialisation, and beneficiation," Chikunga said.
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Chikunga added that addressing youth unemployment requires targeted, sustainable interventions with clearly articulated exit opportunities.
"High levels of youth unemployment require special programs. The National Youth Service Programme must better educate, develop, train, and empower youth, and enable them to participate in the reconstruction of society," Chikunga said.
