Allexer Namundjembo
Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader and member of parliament Job Amupanda has called on prime minister Elijah Ngurare to intervene in what he described as the “chaotic and disjointed” rollout of the National Youth Development Fund.
In a letter dated 14 August, Amupanda criticised the use of different deadlines and processes across regions for a programme meant to operate uniformly in a unitary state.
In some regions, the application deadline is 18 August, in others 21 August, and in some 25 August.
The Erongo region has not set a deadline, opting instead for consultative meetings.
“It cannot be correct that in a unitary state, and for a national programme, youth in some regions are being consulted and getting an opportunity to ask questions while others are on their own, given seven or ten days to submit their project proposals,” Amupanda said.
He questioned the requirement for applicants to indicate “youth ownership” percentages despite the programme being limited to those aged 18 to 35.
“The only sensible explanation, as we suspect, is that older politically connected individuals are manoeuvring and positioning themselves for these millions,” he said.
Amupanda also criticised the environmental requirements, saying it was unrealistic to expect applicants to secure an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) within days.
“One cannot help but decode a well-orchestrated sinister motive to instrumentalise politically connected individuals already seated with the environmental clearance certificates,” he said.
He urged the Ngurare to halt the current process and implement a uniform national timeframe.
He proposed September to November 2025 be used for information-sharing in all constituencies, with a final submission deadline at the end of December.
“Intervention is required for a revised application form and criteria that safeguard the programme from diversion and capture,” he said.
Regional councils have encouraged youth to submit their applications before their respective deadlines.
