Yet another youth scheme established

A new scheme-Monana Unemployment Scheme-was launched last Friday with the sole objective of surmonting to the growing problem of youth unemployment.
The scheme is a partnership between the Gaborone District Youth Council and the Botswana National Youth Council.

The two parties approached the BW Jobs for Graduates, a non-profit organisation committed to assisting youth access information on job opportunities, to join them in piloting the project through online social networking site facebook. If successful it will be rolled-out across the country. The scheme intends to encourage local businesses to reserve 20-50% of their employment spacing to local youth. Odireleng Mmolai of BW Jobs for Graduates explained that the scheme accepts Batswana youth of 18-35 years who have completed their Junior Certificate and BGCSE. “Youth register their details with us, and we then forward their details to the ministry. For example, if a young person is computer literate they might be slotted in a receptionist or teller position.

This initiative is meant to augment efforts to absorb as many young people as possible into the workforce. The stipend amount is about P1200 – P1500. Our role is to assist the young people in their efforts to gain meaningful employment,” he said. According to the 2009/10 Botswana Core Welfare Indicators Survey, unemployment rate stood at 17.8%. The 2012 employment situational analysis study, which assessed the growth and employment nexus, attributed high unemployment to the increasing labour force in the country.

But according to the junior finance minister Vincent Seretse, Batswana could take advantage of government interventions such as the Youth Empowerment Scheme, Economic Diversification Drive and Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency to boost economic activity and reduce unemployment.