||Kharas Governor Dawid Gertze has urged young people to move away from a culture of excuses and take greater responsibility in pursuing available opportunities.||.

Gertze made the call during the Youth Desk's first official meeting in Keetmanshoop on Friday.

The meeting was held to review progress, assess ongoing programmes and activities, coordinate upcoming initiatives, and strengthen youth development efforts across the region.

Gertze emphasised that opportunities in education, vocational training and employment are available but said the biggest challenge facing young people is not only a lack of opportunities but also the failure to actively make use of them.

"Either we abscond or excuse ourselves from opportunities that were knocking, or simply just go and tell the world and Namibia that the narrative of always having excuses must come to an end. We must confront opportunities, and that will only happen if we avail ourselves and get into a fight of taking over and making these opportunities work for us."

Gertze, however, has warned about the mushrooming of unaccredited institutions and urged them to not attend institutions that are not accredited by the Namibia Qualifications Authority.

"It's properly not wrong for them to train and whatever, but at least for honesty's sake, to make it even though you are not accredited but you are registered with a higher learning institution. Because parents are so anxious that their kids get training and people are capitalising on them for all wrong reasons, my call on those who are mushrooming now is please just get ethical and look at your own moral compass."

Gertze added that the Youth Desk will continue working to ensure young people in the region are employed, self-employed and equipped with relevant skills. However, he said this vision can only be achieved if young people take ownership of available opportunities.