Swapo youth league raises alarm over unemployment

By: Envaalde Matheus

The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) has raised concerns over the unemployment rate in Namibia.

This comes after the Namibia Statistics Agency CNSA) on Wednesday announced that the country’s unemployment rate stands at 36.9% during the release of the 2023 Census Labour Force Report by the Namibia Statistic Agency (NSA).

SPYL spokesperson Moses Shikerete said they have noted with great concern an increase of 3.5% in unemployment in the country.

“We are generally concerned by the surge in overall unemployment and youth unemployment in particular, which now stand at 36.9% and 61.4% respectively,” he said.

Shikerete said the report highlights the pressing realities facing our nation with regards to employment creation, particularly for the youth population of our country.

“We acknowledge the significant population growth since the last census in 2011, which now stands at 3 million people, a clear indicator of the urgent need for proactive measures to combat the escalating unemployment rates,” he said.

Shikerete added that the increasing rate of unemployment underscores the necessity for strategic initiatives aimed at creating sustainable employment opportunities as outlined in the Swapo elections manifesto 2024-2030.

“While the setbacks of the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the growth of our country’s economy continue to be felt, notwithstanding that the economy is now on a recovery path, the pandemic forced countless businesses to close their doors, resulting in widespread job losses that have disproportionately affected our youth,” he said.

“Swapo and its government remain steadfast in its commitment to fully implement the 2025-2030 Swapo elections manifesto, which prioritizes radical and intentional strategies to generate employment for our youth, who have been severely impacted by these economic challenges,” he said.

In 2024, president elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the party will create more than half a million employment opportunities over the next five years.

The party manifesto revealed that N$85 billion will be made available for that goal.

Video: Contributed