Over 1,000 young people gathered in Rundu this week to register for training in various fields.

The initiative is part of a programme offered by Ezze Training Centre, in collaboration with the Division for Gender and Child Welfare and other stakeholders, currently running in all regions.

Speaking during the opening ceremony was the chairperson of the Kavango East Regional Council, Damian Maghambayi.

"The current administration is encouraging everybody to be capacitated so that we can create employment for ourselves. We should always have that idea that this training, by the end of the day, will capacitate me, and I will be able to knock on the door of the Councillor's office to say, Councillor, I am qualified in hospitality; I am qualified in computer skills. I am qualified in tourism; sponsor me. Because what I know specifically here in the Kavango East region is that all the constituencies' offices have funds that you youths can make use of for your projects."

The Deputy Director in the Division of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Kavango East Regional Council, Izabel Nongava, pointed out that the aim of the initiative was to empower the youth and reduce the unemployment rate in the region.

"The aim of this event is to equip skills among our youth who are unemployed and for them really to contribute to the development of our country, and most of all, to employ themselves. But, with this one, they will be trained in various skills such as nail making, fashion, you know, transport and logistics, so that at the end of the day they will be able to employ themselves through getting funds from our division for gender, which also gives out some funds."

The training programme will run for the entire month.