Govt announces new youth empowerment measures

Out-of-school youth interested in entering the information technology business are poised to get financial support from the government. This week, the government announced that young people wishing to invest in the sector will get a 40 percent grant from the Department of Youth and Culture, 60 percent financing from Citizen Entrepreneural Development Agency (CEDA) and Orange Botswana.

Principal Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Communications Science and Technology, Titi Nyatsa said that Orange has offered to connect phones to the businesses for the youth.  She said that the youth will be required to form groups of three to five members with different skills to start business. They could start  Internet Cafs or photocopy and typing bureaus. The pilot project will start with 20 but the intention is to have over 100 youth in due course.  The sponsors of the project will train, mentor, and monitor the businesses until the youth are able to pay back the loans. 
Officials at Department of Youth and Culture said that the project will operate according to the guidelines of the out-of-school youth grant. The grant targets those between 19- 29 years.
Meanwhile, civil servants have not been left out in the governments information technology drive. The civil servants now have a scheme that makes it easy for them to buy computers for their families.  They will be buying at a cheaper price and paying in installments. 

 

Editor's Comment
Depression is real; let's take care of our mental health

It is not uncommon in this part of the world for parents to actually punish their children when they show signs of depression associating it with issues of indiscipline, and as a result, the poor child will be lashed or given some kind of punishment. We have had many suicide cases in the country and sadly some of the cases included children and young adults. We need to start looking into issues of mental health with the seriousness it...

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