HAVING a significant number of young people unemployed has negatively impacted the economic growth and development of Lesotho, deputy leader of Democratic Congress (DC) Motlalentoa Letsosa has said.

Speaking at the party’s rally that was held in Ha Motjoka, Teyateyaneng, Berea on Saturday, he said the need to empower youth for a better tomorrow is connected both, to the financial elevation as well as increment of the standard of living.

Mr Letsosa said the unemployment challenge is not restricted to the government, but also to the entire private section in the country.

He said youth empowerment can help reduce the rate of poverty to a significant level, adding that the youth apprenticeship programme that was implemented to tackle youth unemployment will continue to benefit Basotho youth for many years to come.  

He said the unavailability of jobs amongst youth is a challenge which needs to be responded to urgently so that the majority of them could benefit.

Although many governments have spoken about it, he believes that in the long run, it is a challenge that will have a solution if people vote accordingly.

He therefore encouraged and appealed to DC followers to vote for their party in the next elections, in order to give it the opportunity to fight unemployment among other challenges.

 Letsosa also talked about local agricultural production, which he said is a collective responsibility of both the consumers and the manufacturers to become vocal for local.

This he said will help in providing jobs for everyone in the country and also help in growing the country's export share in the global markets.