Pretoria - Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza has committed his provincial government to prioritise opportunities for young people.
“Over the next five years, our partnerships with business will prioritise socio-economic development programmes that ensure that our youth become active contributors to a growing economy,” he said, while delivering his State of the Province Address, on Friday.
“We will focus on providing access to workplace learning opportunities through internships and learnerships.
“We will create opportunities for out of school youths to benefit from artisan development programmes rolled out with our private sector partners.”
Premier Mabuza said they will also be focusing on a small number of carefully selected priorities and initiatives to stimulate rapid economic growth and the creation of decent jobs.
He said the provincial government will be pursuing the Fresh Produce Market initiative.
Premier Mabuza said to guarantee supply to this market, his administration will be:
- Providing comprehensive support to farmers for targeted commodities;
- Prioritising land reform farms and state land that is lying fallow to increase production;
- Investing in irrigation schemes for sustainable production; and
- Providing comprehensive support to small scale farmers and cooperatives.
“We will take deliberate actions to establish youth cooperatives in the sector and provide the necessary infrastructure and finance, including implementing targeted skills development programmes for these young people,” he said.
The premier said they will also be engaging with established commercial farmers to create skills development, mentorship and placement opportunities for young people in the sector.
He said the Artisan Training Centre, built by Hydra Arc, will also play a significant role in this regard.
“We will be concluding a Partnership Agreement with this company very soon. “We are targeting a total number of 5 000 young people to be trained over the next five years,” he said. - SAnews.gov.za
