GABORONE, May 24 — The Botswanan government is trying to address unemployment challenges as the southern African country’s youth unemployment rate reaches 38 percent, a senior official said here Wednesday. The country on Wednesday released the fourth Botswana National Human Development Report: Youth Employment, revealing that 63 percent of young women lack marketable skills compared to 50 percent of young men. The statistics show that addressing youth unemployment requires a multifaceted approach that tackles economic factors, skills gaps, education and training, and systemic issues, Vice President and Minister of Finance Ndaba Gaolathe said. He said the country is at a crossroads, with the economy having contracted by 3 percent and expected to decline further to 0.4 percent in 2025. Over the past few months, the Botswanan government has taken the initiative to actively engage global investors, multilateral development institutions, and key decision-makers across regional and international platforms to tackle the unemployment challenge, Gaolathe said.
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