Source: President of South Africa –
Master of Ceremony, Ms Noni Khumalo;
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi;
Minister of Human Settlements, Ms Thembi Simelane;
Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Ms Nonceba Mhlauli;
Statistician-General of South Africa, Ms Risenga Maluleke;
NYDA Executive Deputy Chairperson, Karabo Mohale and her entire Executive;
The SAYEC Executive led by Executive Chairperson Bonga Makhanya, and President Kanakana Mudzanani;
Our Youth Led Economy Panel;
All Young People present;
Good Morning,
It is an honour to be here today after I have just returned from a very successful Working Visit to the Russian Federation, where our delegation was warmly welcomed and engaged in an intense programme aimed at deepening bilateral trade and economic ties between South Africa and Russia.
As you all know, Russia has a longstanding relationship with South Africa, stretching back to the fight against apartheid. Our visit thus allowed us to consolidate those historic ties, while also committing to strengthening political, bilateral, economic, and trade relations today.
Amongst other engagements, we visited the Saint Petersburg University, established in 1735, which trains a number South Africans and has relationships with nearly all universities in our own country. One of the pleasing aspects about the institution is that it has committed to teaching isiZulu and isiXhosa to improve people-to-people relations and cultural diplomacy between the two countries.
I also participated in the SPIEF Youth Academy, under the auspices of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2025. The SPIEF Youth Academy is a platform designed to inspire and support talented youth, focusing on practical content and formats. It aims to provide opportunities for young leaders to fulfil their potential, support mentorship, and engage them in solving global socio-economic issues.
What fascinated me most, was the level of expertise and knowledge in the use of artificial intelligence and digital technology. This has further strengthened my belief that we too in South Africa, must invest in this area of work because we are living in the knowledge economy, and it is a requirement for us to be globally competitive.
We must follow the heed of Professor Tshilidzi Marwala by including artificial intelligence, machine learning and computational intelligence work in the Early Childhood Development curriculum for young people.
Equally, we must continue to invest in scientific training to remain competitive in nuclear medicine because we need more Professors like Professor Sathekga at the University of Pretoria, Professor Vilakazi at Wits University, and Mathematics Professors such as Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng.
This is the only way we can be globally competitive, but also importantly, this will ensure that as a nation we can be self-reliant.
We are also gathering today, at a moment when the world is on the brink of war. We in the South uniformly condemn the attacks on the Iranian people. We are optimistic that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran will hold.
As South Africans, we fully understand the impact of war and instability on ordinary people and continue to make a call for a permanent truce in all conflicts around the world. We therefore urge all young people throughout the world to unite and advocate for peaceful solutions in every platform.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Those who work closely with me will tell you that I always find immense joy and satisfaction in interacting with young people.
When young people participate actively in discussions and decision-making processes, they provide unique perspectives and ideas that assist in shaping a more inclusive and prosperous future.
Youth activism has been a significant force in history, with young people frequently leading social and political movements, even in the chronicles of history.
Young people consistently devised strategies to advocate for change, they led protests and organised themselves, frequently opposing the status quo and striving for a more promising future.
It is impossible for instance to discuss the liberation of South Africa without acknowledging the contributions of youth activists such as Hastings Ndlovu, Hector Pieterson, and Tsietsi Mashinini, who organised the mass demonstration that revolutionised our nation.
Through the scattered blood of these young souls on June 16, 1976, and in remembrance of others who perished for the same cause, such as Stanza Bopape, Solomon Mahlangu, Ashley Kriel, and Steve Biko, today South Africa has attained political freedom.
Indeed, we have achieved political freedom, yet economic freedom remains elusive. Hence the involvement of young people in tackling current issues like unemployment, inequality, and poverty is still as crucial as it was in the apartheid era. The question that confronts us therefore, is how can we further involve young people in addressing these challenges?
First and foremost, as I have said before, we need to create opportunities for their meaningful participation in solutions and decision-making processes. This involves ensuring that individuals have access to education and opportunities that improve their skills, support youth-led initiatives, and promote inclusive economic growth.
We need to turn our attention to youth capabilities and development to empower young people to unleash their untapped potential. When we invest in youth development, we tap into this potential and convert it into a force for positive change and sustainable development.
Today’s topic, “Building Youth Capabilities for a Developmental State: Advancing Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability,” is an imperative. Investing in the capabilities of young people is essential for achieving meaningful solidarity, enduring equality, and sustainable development.
South Africa stands at a defining moment in its democratic journey.
The G20 provides South Africa with a strategic opportunity to frame global policy discussions around the capabilities of young people as agents of inclusive economic transformation, inclusivity, and sustainability.
This presents an opportunity for the African people to take charge of their own development. It is a call to reshape the global order toward justice, equity, and sustainability through the leadership and capabilities of our youth.
It is necessary for me to acknowledge that youth around the world, including South Africa, is confronted with a complicated terrain of potential and difficulties.
The growth of the Global South and the evolving nature of international cooperation are two examples of the shifts in global power dynamics that have a substantial influence on this generation.
In other words, we are witnessing a multi-polar shift of global power.
The Global South is asserting its voice. Institutions like BRICS, the African Union, and now our Presidency of the G20 reflect a growing consensus: that development must be inclusive, people-centred, and youth-driven.
This presents a collective moment for us to re-frame global discourse. A moment to insist that Africa’s youth are not passive recipients of aid or policy, but agents of innovation, enterprise, and governance.
Our presence here in these multilateral platforms, however, is not without historical weight. South Africa continues to advocate for equitable participation in the Global South.
This is a significant moment for renewal and inclusion, and that means ensuring that we leave no one behind. And the role of young people is crucial in shaping a more inclusive and stable global order.
Compatriots,
The African Union’s Agenda 2063 reminds us that the youth are Africa’s greatest asset’.
Africa is the world’s youngest continent, and if we do not leverage this demographic dividend into inclusive growth, we risk wasting our own future potential.
Young people can build the Africa we want.
An Africa that is well defined in the Agenda 2063, Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.
Agenda 2063 encapsulates not only Africa’s aspirations for the future but also identifies key flagship programmes which can boost Africa’s economic growth and development and lead to the rapid transformation of the continent.
These include the Integrated High-Speed Train Network, the flagship Grand Inga Dam Project, the Single African Air Transport Market and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The African Continental Free Trade Area presents unprecedented opportunities!
We must intentionally empower youth-owned businesses to participate in intra-African trade through simplified trade regimes, digitised customs, and youth quotas in procurement and export support.
We are pleased to announce that South Africa has officially ratified the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area. This milestone is not just a symbolic gesture; it is a decisive policy action that signals our intent to mainstream gender and youth equity within intra-African trade policy.
The protocol is significant because it operationalises the inclusion of woman-led and youth-led enterprises in regional and global value chains. It mandates the removal of structural trade barriers, prioritises access to information, finances, and markets, as well as requires state parties to create enabling legal and policy environments for inclusive economic participation.
In a continent where women and young people make up the majority of the population and yet remain on the margins of formal trade, this protocol helps to rewire trade systems to reflect demographic and developmental realities.
South Africa’s ratification means we are committed not only to advocating for inclusive trade but also to designing trade systems that are fit for purpose. This inclusion reinforces South Africa’s leadership role on the continent and supports the broader message of building youth capabilities for a developmental state.
We understand that we need young people to meaningfully build capable, ethical, and developmental states. We must integrate youth into national and continental planning frameworks, not just as beneficiaries but also as co-architects of development.
As you always say, “Nothing for us without us.” And indeed we cannot make decisions about the youth without them.
This resonates with the ideals we have, to build a sustainable world, investing in intergenerational skills transfer, mentorship and co-leadership.
For the many young people trapped in high degrees of informality and pervasive cycles of unemployment, a functioning and competent government is their only opportunity of breaking free from marginalisation.
Therefore, the first and most pressing priority of our government is the promotion of inclusive economic growth, industrialisation, employment, and reducing inequality.
Our Government has laid foundational work to resolve the imminent challenges faced by young people:
· Over 70% of government funding for post-school education now goes to no-fee universities and TVET colleges. The National Skills Fund and NSFAS support over a million students, with a specific focus on scarce and future-fit skills.
· Through the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, over 1.7 million temporary and full-time jobs have been created since 2020. These include roles in education, social services, and digital economy pilots.
· Programmes like the SA Youth.mobi platform have registered over 4 million young job-seekers, connecting them to work and training opportunities.
These efforts should indeed scale to match the number of young people that are in search of economic opportunities.
The South African Government will bring more focus towards:
· Strengthening education-to-employment pipelines that prepare youth for participation in both traditional industries and emerging sectors.
· Investing in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), particularly in green manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, and digital services.
· Support and formalising informal sectors and revitalising the township economy linked with industrialisation efforts, allowing young entrepreneurs to contribute meaningfully to economic revitalisation.
· Provide incentives for youth inclusion in Special Economic Zones (SEZs), support for cooperatives, and start-up capital through development finance institutions.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The time has come for us to move beyond inclusion as a moral goal and make it a measurable outcome.
In this regard, it is important for the economy to strengthen the viable pathways for youth inclusion.
We have noted that young people complain about the red tape and bureaucratic hurdles they need to overcome to access services designed to support and scale their entrepreneurial efforts.
The Presidency has established a specialised unit focused on enhancing the business climate by addressing regulatory obstacles. This team is adopting a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach, engaging various government departments and entities to streamline processes and enable business growth.
Key interventions in this regard will target the removal of administrative bottlenecks in strategic sectors. These include improvements to the mining licensing framework, facilitation of tourism transport permits, and streamlining of visa and work permit processes, as well as regulatory support for early childhood development services and the informal economy.
For us to achieve our developmental goals, we need to create an enabling ecosystem that removes red tape, fosters entrepreneurship, and ensures youth-led businesses can scale, trade, and thrive.
Our way forward must be bold and measurable:
· We will anchor youth inclusion in every major pillar of our G20 Presidency, from climate finance and trade facilitation to digital transformation and skills mobility.
· We will institutionalise intergenerational co-leadership in governance frameworks, moving beyond consultation to shared power and shared design.
· We will work with regional and global partners to implement targeted reforms that enable young people to start businesses, access capital, and engage in cross-border trade.
The youth of South Africa,
As South Africa prepares for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November, we do so with the consciousness that global leadership must be grounded in domestic credibility and continental solidarity.
The developmental state we seek to build is not a theoretical construct; it must be a living architecture built on the capabilities, aspirations, and contributions of its young people.
This roundtable has made one thing clear: youth are not merely beneficiaries of policy; they are builders of nations. We must now ensure that the decisions we take at multilateral forums reflect this truth. We look forward to receiving your submissions on how we can champion a new development compact where the youth agenda is not marginal but mainstreamed into public policy, budgeting, and delivery.
Let the G20 remember that Africa is young!
South Africa is ready, and we want young people to take the lead in the developmental and transformation agenda. The future is yours, and you are the future!
Stand up, persevere, and confront every challenge with persistence. We are here to provide you with the support you need as you navigate this process.
I thank you.
