The NYDA is a South African-based agency established
primarily to address challenges faced by the nation’s youth. The Agency was
established by an Act of Parliament (Act 54 of 2008). The institution was
established to be a single, unitary structure addressing youth development
issues at National, Provincial and Local Government level. The Agency should be
seen within the broad context of South Africa’s development dynamics.
The Agency derives its mandate from the
legislative frameworks, including the National Youth Development Agency Act,
2008 (Act 54 of 2008) (NYDA Act), the National Development Plan 2030, the
National Youth Policy 2030 and the draft Integrated Youth Development Strategy
(IYDS). The Agency assumed and improved the operational platform developed by the
merger of the National Youth Commission and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, which
rendered the Agency operational with immediate effect. In addition, the staff
component of its predecessors was also incorporated into the NYDA. The strategy
of the NYDA can be summarized as follows:
- Economic development through youth
entrepreneurship
- Decent employment through jobs program
- Social cohesion and pathway for economic
emancipation through National Youth Service
- Monitoring and evaluation of the integrated
youth development strategy
The NYDA Act no 54 of 2008 further
mandates the NYDA to develop an Integrated Youth Development Strategy (IYDS)
for South Africa and initiate, design, coordinate, evaluate and monitor all
programmes that aim to integrate the youth into the economy and society in
general. These initiated programmes aim to alleviate poverty, urban and rural
development, combating of crime and substance abuse as well as social decay
amongst youth. The NYDA lobbied other organs of state to consider national
priorities in respect of youth development when planning their activities
regarding their implementation of youth development priorities. The NYDA will continue to monitor and
evaluate youth development interventions across the board and mobilize youth
for active participation in civil society engagements.
The IYDS has been designed as a strategy
that any role-player could get involved in at any point in time. The primary
role within this strategy is for the NYDA to act as a catalyst.
The NYDA with the support of the Office
of the Presidency, can create the political will and momentum within
Government, to allow the Integrated Youth Development Strategy to gain the
traction that is required for successful implementation. The opportunity to
influence what other Departments are doing in the youth development space, must
be driven quite strongly by both the NYDA and the Presidency.
The main aim is to make youth
development part and parcel of what other line departments are delivering, to
the point where organizational and individual performance agreements include
youth development as a clear area of focus. The role is, therefore, to remove
barriers to success and to assist with the development and delivery of critical
success factors. Our role can broadly be described as to:
- Provide planning and decision-making
information for projects.
- Coordinate key engagements.
- Facilitate
critical discussions and to ease projects through conceptualization into design
and ultimately implementation.
- Establish key partnerships with private
sector organizations at national, provincial and local levels.
- Monitoring, evaluation and reporting
requirements of the liaison function.
The IYDS should be understood in the
context of the policy and legislative frameworks that have been developed in
the country and with reference to the youth. This has been further informed by
the IYDS process of development, one which has been characterized by research,
synthesis, engagement, consultation and finally consolidation championed by the
Presidency. In moving into implementation, it should be seen as a national
strategy that encourages on-going engagement and participation by all partners:
Public, Private and Civil Society. The success of the strategy lies in the
collective efforts of key role players, working together to ensure an empowered
and enabled youth in South Africa.