Hardap’s unemployment hits 32%

Joe-Chintha Garises

MARIENTAL – Hardap governor Riaan McNab has said youth empowerment, infrastructure development and service delivery remain key priorities for the region, as it seeks to address a 32% unemployment rate.

In his state of the region address (Sora) in Mariental on Monday, McNab said the region continues to align its development agenda with national priorities under the Sixth National Development Plan and the theme of the eighth administration, which focuses on youth empowerment and sustainable development.

The governor said several initiatives aimed at creating employment opportunities and developing skills among young people were implemented during the reporting period.

These include the enrolment of 147 students at the Kai//Kanaxab Skills Training Centre, the establishment of the Johanna Jacobs Vocational Training Centre in Gibeon and the opening of the Africa Institute of Management Sciences campus in Stampriet.

“Youth empowerment is not only a social imperative but an economic necessity. Through skills development, entrepreneurship support and targeted infrastructure investments, we are creating opportunities for young people to participate meaningfully in the economy and contribute to the sustainable development of the Hardap region,” he said.