The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) notes the State of the Nation Address delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa last night. We welcome the clear commitment by government to prioritise inclusive economic growth, job creation, infrastructure expansion, and skills development, all of which are consistent with the calls the ANCYL has consistently made for urgent, youth-centred economic transformation.
The President’s emphasis on expanding public employment programmes, scaling up youth workexperience initiatives, and unlocking opportunities in the digital and green economies reflects an acknowledgement of the severity of youth unemployment and the centrality of young people in rebuilding the economy. The ANCYL particularly welcomes the commitment to remove regulatory barriers that prevent businesses from participating in youth employment schemes, as this responds directly to our long-standing call for aggressive labour-market intervention.
We further note government’s infrastructure investment drive and support it as a catalyst for industrialisation, localisation, and mass job creation. However, we emphasise that infrastructure programmes must include clear youth employment quotas, skills transfer mechanisms, and procurement set-asides for youth-owned enterprises. Without deliberate youth inclusion targets, growth risks reproducing exclusion rather than dismantling it.
The reported improvements in education outcomes, including the historic matric pass rate, demonstrate the potential of young people when provided with resources and support. Yet educational success must be matched by a credible post-school economic absorption strategy. South Africa cannot celebrate academic achievement while graduates remain unemployed. The missing link remains a coordinated national plan that connects education, industrial policy, and labour demand.
The ANCYL also acknowledges interventions aimed at poverty relief and rural development, including support for black producers and agricultural expansion. We reiterate that land access, agricultural financing, and value-chain participation for young people must be accelerated if rural youth unemployment is to be meaningfully reduced.
While government has highlighted progress in rebuilding state capacity and combating corruption, the lived reality of many young South Africans is still defined by poor service delivery, crime, and lack of economic opportunity. Implementation, not announcements, will determine whether the commitments made today translate into tangible change.
The ANCYL therefore calls for:
• Clear timelines and budgets attached to all youth employment commitments;
• Binding youth inclusion targets in infrastructure and industrial programmes;
• Expansion of support for youth entrepreneurship and cooperatives;
• A coordinated national youth economic participation strategy.
South Africa’s youth do not require sympathy; they require decisive action, structural transformation, and access to opportunities. The SONA has outlined important commitments. The task ahead is implementation at scale and with urgency.
The ANCYL remains resolute in its position that young people must not be spectators in the economy of their country, but active participants and leaders in its transformation.