The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Executive Chairperson, Dr Sunshine Myende, says the agency has repositioned itself from being primarily a grant-making institution to becoming a leading force for youth development across South Africa.
Since taking office on 1 August 2025, the NYDA Board has focused on strengthening governance and accountability, expanding partnerships, and improving engagement with Parliament and other key stakeholders.
The agency has also intensified its community outreach efforts, taking programmes and services directly to young people in areas where opportunities have often been limited.
Myende said these efforts are aimed at ensuring the NYDA plays a broader role in connecting young people with opportunities and advancing youth development nationwide.
The Chairperson made these remarks during the National Youth Day commemoration in Johannesburg on Tuesday, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“Our work has included provincial youth engagements at schools and institutions of higher learning, Youth Fund mobilisation, investment and value-chain partnerships, participation in platforms such as the Mining Indaba, tourism and enterprise development initiatives, and the elevation of South African youth voices on international platforms including the United Nations.
“Every engagement has been driven by one objective: to bring opportunity closer to young people and young people closer to opportunity,” she said.
During the reporting period, the National Youth Development Agency processed more than 1 300 grant opportunities worth over R28 million, backing young entrepreneurs who are not only building businesses, but also creating jobs, stimulating local economies and restoring hope in communities across the country.
“Through our partnership with the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, we have launched 100 000 paid National Youth Service opportunities, ensuring that thousands of young South Africans gain meaningful work experience while serving their communities and contributing to nation-building,” Myende said.
In July, the NYDA will launch I AM THE CODE – a bold, status quo-disrupting initiative that will equip more than 600 000 young South Africans with future-ready skills in artificial intelligence, coding, robotics, fintech, agritech and digital entrepreneurship.
“We refuse to prepare young people only for the economy we inherited. We are preparing them to lead the economy that is emerging as well,” the Chairperson said.
She added that, across government and its partners, a coordinated ecosystem is emerging that places young people at the centre of South Africa's development agenda.
“The Department of Employment and Labour is expanding pathways through its Labour Activation Programme. The Department of Small Business Development is opening doors through the Youth Entrepreneurship Fund and the Spaza Shop Support Fund, recognising that young people are not only looking for jobs but are capable of creating them.
“The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is investing in thousands of opportunities through the Presidential Employment Stimulus, ensuring that creativity and culture become engines of economic participation. These initiatives remind us that when government works together, opportunity can be created at scale,” the Chairperson said. - SAnews.gov.za
