Pretoria - The appointment of Provincial Advisory Board (PAB) members to the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) is expected to help speed up the agency's mandate at provincial level.
The NYDA announced the names of the 63 young people at a press conference on Wednesday, following President Jacob Zuma's call for the agency to prioritise the establishment of the PABs to ensure NYDA presence in the provinces.
NYDA chairperson Andile Lungisa said the PABs will consist of seven members per province and will act on an advisory capacity to the NYDA Board of Directors on matters pertaining to youth development.
They will advise the NYDA Board on provincial priority programmes, promote a standard approach by government departments, private sector and non-governmental organisations on youth development issues.
"We undertook this process in line with our mandate of mainstreaming youth development in the country," said Lungisa.
The agency called on all premiers and provincial governments to give their full support to the PABs to ensure that they are able to function optimally.
"We are certain that with their support, youth development will be prioritised in line with various provincial departmental plans," Lungisa said.
Calls for nominations were opened to individual, organisations, institutions and civil society for suitable persons to be appointed to the PABs.
