Johannesburg: 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.
According to South African Government News Agency, 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 stated that these efforts aim to ensure 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. She highlighted that the agency's 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, she stated, is driven by the objective to bring opportunity closer to young people and young people closer to opportunity.
During the reporting period, the National Youth Development Agency processed more than 1,300 grant opportunities worth over R28 million, supporting 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 - an 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 noted.
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, while the Department of Small Business Development is opening doors through the Youth Entrepreneurship Fund and the Spaza Shop Support Fund. Additionally, 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, she said, remind us that when government works together, opportunity can be created at scale.