Young people are the momentum that drives a country and grows its economy.
That's according to President Cyril Ramaphosa. He was speaking virtually on Youth Day which was being held in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal.
The theme for Youth Day this year is "The year of Charlotte Maxeke: Growing youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society".
He addressed the crisis of youth unemployment. 
Ramaphosa said 63.3% of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed and that is something the country cannot afford.
"Young people are the momentum that drives a country and grows its economy, young people historically are a source of innovation and new ideas, they are so because they have energy, young people are resilient and never give up even when it's difficult."
"Right now, the economy is suffering from the effects of the pandemic," Ramaphosa said.
"Our challenges today are many and those are the challenges of young people. As a country, we are committed, and we are putting young people at the centre of our national recovery"
Ramaphosa added that the government will be launching a South African Youth national pathway management network. This is an initiative that will bring together eight government departments, led by the Labour Department.
It will support young people in finding their way into the economy.
Furthermore, he said" We are putting young people in the middle of our national recovery. It is the singular focus of this administration to ensure that young people are given access to opportunities so they can better themselves, that they can drive change in their communities, and contribute to our economy. As a government, we are driving several initiatives, some of which began before the pandemic.
Among the initiatives mentioned include the Presidential Employment Stimulus that began in October last year, the Youth Employment Service, known as YES, and an online platform called SAYouth.Mobi.
"We know that by providing young people with opportunities for work experience, by supporting them to start and grow their own businesses, by fixing our skills development system and by creating opportunities for work that serves the common good, we can make inroads into this challenge," Ramaphosa said.
Two weeks ago, Stats SA released the national unemployment figures. It painted a grim picture, the highest unemployment rate among youth between 15 and 24 being 63.3%.