Government to create employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people
Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela speaking during the 40th anniversary.
The Government is taking steps to create innovative employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in the country.
Prime Minister Rick Nelson Houenipwela revealed this in his speech at the recent 40th Independence Anniversary celebrations in Honiara.
Mr Hou said more than 50 percent of the country’s population are young people, with no adequate employment or entrepreneurship opportunities.
As a result, the Prime Minister said they are not able to contribute effectively to the country’s economy.
But he said the Government is now taking steps to deal with the matter through a new youth policy.
“A reform in our education as alluded earlier will ensure our youths are more competitive in the labor market. The Government is now taking steps to create innovative employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for our young people throughout this country”, he said.
“This year we will introduce a new youth employment policy to drive youth employment and entrepreneurship. This framework will also include programmes for leadership training and in sports, arts and drama and many other areas of interest to our youth population.”
The Prime Minister confirmed he is seeking to establish formal labor mobility agreements to deal with youth unemployment.
“I am personally seeking to put in place formal labor mobility agreements with several countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and Taiwan. I hope this will provide huge opportunities for our youths and alleviate youth unemployment challenges in our country.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Houenipwela said the country’s health system needs stepping up to better serve the rural and urban populace.
He said health support systems must work to better serve people by ensuring that medical supplies are readily available.
“Our health system needs to step up to serve our rural and urban populations better. We must ensure our health support system work, such as ensuring essential drugs are always in stock. We must aim to eradicate Malaria by 2030 so it can no longer be a cause of ill health in our country.”
The Prime Minister added, Solomon Islands must also reverse the non-communicable disease crisis that is responsible for about eight of every ten deaths occurring in the country.
By: Rickson Bau