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President Cyril Ramaphosa has assented to the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Amendment Bill which refocuses the functional areas of the agency’s empowerment of young South Africans and strengthens governance of the institution.

The law assented to by the President amends the National Youth Development Agency Act of 2008 to refocus the functions of the agency; to provide for organs of state to assist the NYDA; to provide for additional Board members and to determine that board members may not be reappointed for more than two consecutive terms.

The new provisions narrow the objectives of the agency which were previously deemed as too broad and not feasible for implementation.

The Amendment Act makes it clear that the mandate of the NYDA is primarily within the youth sector and the law limits the agency’s mandate to the objectives that can be funded.

The NYDA is now empowered to establish competencies and capabilities in its operations in the following functional areas:  national youth service; economic transformation, job creation and entrepreneurial support and management of interventions needed to assist the youth to find employment.

The agency is classified as a national public entity as listed in Part A of Schedule 3 of the Public Finance Management Act, which will report to  the Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.

The agency is required to submit to the Minister at least one report every two years on the status of youth in the country.

The new law sets out the composition, appointment and conditions of service of the NYDA board and directs, among other provisions, that board members must be South African citizens between the ages of 18 and 35.

It also determines that board proceedings will be null and void in an event where a board member participates in the proceedings of the board without disclosing any interest which may induce bias.

Issued by the Presidency