Govt launches horticulture project in Kavango East
KANGWERU – As part of its mandate to empower young people nationwide, the youth ministry, in collaboration with the National Youth Council, launched the self-employment project in horticulture at the Kangweru in the Ndonga Linena constituency of Kavango East.
At Kangweru, five young men and women were selected to operate the horticulture garden, with earnings from the sale of fresh produce to be reinvested for operational purposes as well as for their monthly remuneration.
“The horticulture project is aimed at encouraging and creating employment opportunities for young people to produce crops and vegetables for food security,” deputy minister of youth Emma Kantema-Gaomas said.
She said the launch of the project was in line with the sub-pillar of youth enterprise development in the Harambee Prosperity Plan, which has dual objectives.
“The first is to create an enabling environment for private sector entrepreneurial start-ups and growth-oriented SMEs. Second is to facilitate the establishment of youth- owned enterprises through government structures and interventions,” she said.
“The desired goal and outcome of alleviating poverty and hunger pillar is to ensure that there is zero death in Namibia because of a lack of food. Today, we are witnessing government’s interventions in responding to this outcome whose efforts are aimed at improving agricultural output to support food security at the household level as well as create job opportunities for young people.”
The deputy minister added the government’s initiatives have sought to ensure access to training facilities so that the youth in Namibia can establish businesses and earn income to improve their lives.
“Accordingly, the horticulture project’s strategic focus is on enterprise development as a key strategy for increasing economic opportunities for participation by the youth in nation-building,” she said.
“It has, thus, become increasingly clear that older teenagers and young adults need livelihood development. This project responds to the high-level directions outlined in the Harambee Prosperity Plan and calls for the expansion of youth participation in social and economic development.”