NYDA CEO helping youth realise their dreams

When Waseem Carim played street football and cricket with childhood friends – amid a scotching Limpopo summer – little did he expect to assume a key role of presiding over a multimillion-rand programme at the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), years later.

Helping young people realise their dreams, is his passion.

With offices spread throughout South Africa’s nine provinces, the agency was established by parliament to address challenges faced by young people – in a country where youth unemployment has reached a staggering 45.5%.

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As the agency chief executive, Carim has been the driver behind youth entrepreneurs, with the NYDA involved in major initiatives to empower young people from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.

They offer bridging finance, business mentorship, consultancy services, market linkages, business management training and youth cooperative development.

“I come from a simple childhood background, which I found enjoyable,” he says.

“We grew up in a house with many of our cousins. I have always felt privileged to have grown up in a society where the entire community cared for your growth and development.

“I remember lots of hot summer days on the street with my friends, playing street football or cricket,” says Carim.

After attending the Central Islamic School in Laudium, Carrim, who is a chartered accountant, studied at the University of Pretoria, later obtaining an MBA through Wits University.

“I was involved in student politics at university and worked on some of the challenges that faced students on campus,” he says.

“After qualifying, I opted to spend my first year of articles as part of the academic team at the university and further enhanced a passion for working with young people.

“I worked at KPMG South Africa for four years in audit and consulting. I was then headhunted to become the chief financial officer of NYDA at age 26 and CEO at 30.”

While concerned about high levels of youth unemployment, Carrim wants to see young people undergoing a mindset change – from being employees to becoming their own bosses.

“In South Africa, self-employment represents only 10% of all jobs, compared to 30% in most upper middle-income countries like Türkiye, Mexico and Brazil.

“If South Africa were to match the self-employment rates of our peers, we could potentially halve our unemployment rate,” he maintains.

The NYDA has shifted its model of supporting youth entrepreneurs “away from established enterprises, towards up-and-coming youth enterprises in the micro and the informal sector”.

The strategy, says Carim, has allowed the agency “to scale our approach from supporting only 5 000 entrepreneurs per annum a few years ago, to close to 30 000 entrepreneurs per annum today”.

“We have seen the sustainability of these enterprises which survive the ‘valley of death’, which is the first two years of entrepreneurship – improving from 50% a few years ago to over 80% today,” he says.

“We have also established the National Youth Service (NYS), which has an intake of about 50 000 young people, making it the largest NYS programme on the African continent – one of the largest in the world.

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“In the programme, young people are offering meaningful service to their communities, earning an income at the national minimum wage – growing their skills and employability.

“We are also seeing that 20% of these participants are transitioning, post youth service, into sustainable longer-term employment.

“Our Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund has now produced 750 university graduates at a throughput rate of 90% – compared to the national average of 50% – with a placement in employment rate of 95%.”

On why he believes that young people have a leadership role to play in government, business and in organs of civil society, he says: “South Africa has by far the most diverse and educated youth generation, who I think have high degrees of empathy and emotional intelligence.

“We need their agility, skills and innovation, to work in an inter-generational format in the workplace and in society.

“When we lament old leaders, it is not because we don’t want to learn or be mentored by them – it is so pervasive and there doesn’t seem to be an inter-generational strategy in place.

“The continent is getting younger – we can’t afford young people to be left behind.”

Carim has had no role models in life, but mentors.

“I think as you grow older, you appreciate that each human being has immense strengths but also flaws,” he says.

“I am lucky that throughout my journey, I have had so many mentors who have supported me.

“My former CEO at the NYDA, Mr Khathu Ramukumba, who is now the [chief financial officer] at Unisa, has been a wonderful mentor and friend for more than a decade now,” he says.

A father of two, Carim makes time for his family, but a chunk of his time is consumed by work.

“I try and be up for morning prayers at about 5.30am, then head to the gym and try to get started on administration work – earlier, before the meetings start to come through from 9am onwards.

“The day is often filled with many meetings, which look at supporting the team – meeting prospective partners to broaden the scope of youth development and driving organisational performance.”

He is currently reading the book, Start with Why, by Simon Sinek.

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