South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged business firms to help curb the country’s crippling unemployment by employing more young people even if the youth do not have work experience.
“Youth unemployment is of great concern to me,” Ramaphosa said in a Twitter Q/A with young people hosted on his official Twitter page on Monday.
“We are mobilising investments to create jobs and we are urging companies to focus more attention on employing young people and not insist on work experience,” the president said.
Asked by one Twitter user why unemployed graduates should vote for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and when young people would start to see growth and integration of young people into the economy, Ramaphosa replied:
“Young people should vote for the ANC because the country has made a big investment [in] them. The returns will be when they are able to get jobs – as our economy grows and yields jobs. Young people are our key priority area and focus when it comes to job creation,” he said.
Another Twitter user quizzed the president why his cabinet was “full of old people. Don’t you believe in the youth?”
“I am a firm believer in the ability of young people to give leadership as they are courageous, innovative and creative,” Ramaphosa replied.
NM/jn/APA