Educate youth for a better Africa: Deputy Minister

Image credit: www.thepresidency.gov.za

"Let us put books and pens in the hands of young people to educate and skill them for a better future for Africa, rather than bullets and guns to fight wars decided by the older generations and which further deteriorates our continent," Deputy Minister Manamela said on Friday.

He was speaking at the 3rd Intergenerational Dialogue with the Pan African Parliament and the African Youth, which was held under the theme: Promoting a culture of good governance for citizen's action for empowerment of young women, as well as youth innovation and entrepreneurship.

"Let us build on the capacity, energy, vigour of young people towards innovation and entrepreneurship to take advantage of the huge need for industrialisation and beneficiation of our mineral resources rather than exporting these resources as raw materials in exchange for arms to fund our internal and civil wars," he said.

He said the continent needed youth rebels in the field of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation if it was going to give true meaning to the Agenda 2063.

"We are more determined, as we celebrate Africa Day in a few days to come, to continue to build African consciousness and pan-Africanism amongst our people.

"We will only end this form of violence amongst Africans if we destroy the borders that merely shelter our poverty, our inequality and our under-development and strengthens the fear and scepticism that African people will continue to have amongst themselves," Deputy Minister Manamela said.

South Africa is on the verge of adopting a National Youth Policy 2020.

"Through this policy, and guided by the African Youth Charter, we have placed at the centre youth development and empowerment issues of the economy, access to education and skills, entrepreneurship, healthy lifestyles, national cohesion and nation building and strengthening youth development institutions and agencies," he said.