By Simon Deng
South Sudan’s Youth Enterprise and Development Fund stipulated in the revitalised peace agreement will provide an avenue for a conflict resolution across the country according to Wani Michael, the Executive Director a civil society known as, Okay Africa Foundation.
Michael talked to Juba Echo by phone on Saturday while commenting over a concluded two-day validation workshop for the Youth and Development Enterprise Fund in Juba.
“Youth fund will empower young people to be innovative, even create jobs for them, it will boost local productions and it is also going to be conflict resolution mechanism because young people will be engaged in economic activities, this will make them busy,” Said Michael.
Michael said that Youth Enterprise fund is meant for the private sector development, noting that the fund will be used by young people engaging in business, agriculture and other income generating activities. Peter Batista, the undersecretary for the Ministry of Youth and Sport said that youth have documented their views on the youth enterprise fund, noting that the document will be presented to the justice Ministry before it is tabled in parliament for enactment into law.
“We are now initiating Youth Enterprise and Development Fund, we want to mould it to our situation with the ultimate aims of meeting desires and aspirations of young people, availing resources for them to start business and to be self-reliant,” said Batista.
He said that the government has right to provide resources through special fund created, noting that young South Sudanese people need to be empowered
“Not everybody has a job with the government, the government has to help youth sustain themselves through business, they need capital,” he added.
Florence Nelson, a 24 years old participant at the youth symposium in Juba said many youth are not aware about the development fund in the agreement,
“The youth enterprise fund granted by the revitalised peace agreement will help to make stable the life of youth in a way that it might reduce even the rate of crimes that is being committed by youth due to lack of employment,” said Nelson.
