The youth unemployment rate in the province stands at 41.6%.

The DA Provincial Spokesperson on Youth, Ofentse Mokae, says the party will present practical solutions on combatting unemployment in today’s virtual Youth Parliament.

He says the party will also present the proposed solutions to Premier Zamani Saul, for possible implementation in the province.

Mokae says the DA proposes that Saul consider setting up a functional Youth Directorate in his office “that is adequately resourced and must be able to advocate for targeted support for micro-entrepreneurs in the informal economy.”

He says another possible solution would be to create youth opportunity centres in all five districts of the province which will enable young people to access information on business opportunities, amongst others.

The DA also recommends that the premier support its #DATA4ALL campaign which calls for 500 mega-bytes free data per month for registered jobseekers, matrics, NSFAS students and students from low-income families.

Furthermore, the DA “Calls for the Employment Tax Incentive to stimulate the demand for youth labour in the Northern Cape. This will encourage the creation of job opportunities for young people in the province as well as ensuring the absorption of youth into the employment market.”

OFM News recently reported that the Northern Cape has the highest rate of young people aged 15-24 years not in employment, education or training.

OFM News