Justicia Shipena
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has urged partners and investors to support Namibia’s efforts to empower young people through sport, skills development, and innovation.
She made the call on Sunday at a luncheon consultation on the revitalisation of national youth centres in New York, United States.
The event was held as a side event ahead of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly high-level week, where Nandi-Ndaitwah is leading the Namibian delegation.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia is committed to holistic youth development as a pathway to inclusive prosperity.
“I wish to invite our partners to support our government initiatives towards youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, sports development and infrastructure, as well as the PAY Programme. A healthy nation is a productive nation,” she said.
She highlighted the country’s sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), launched in July, which serves as the final national plan on the road to Vision 2030 under the theme “Fostering Economic Growth, Inclusiveness, and Resilience for Sustainable Development.”
She said NDP6 is focused on economic diversification and digital transformation.
Namibia is moving away from reliance on primary industries to building value chains, skills, and innovation, with the goal of achieving a fully digital government ecosystem by 2030.
Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised that youth are central to this vision. “Our objective is to maximise the potential of Namibia’s youth population to drive sustainable socio-economic development through youth empowerment, sport development and the culture and creative industry,” she said.
She spoke on the government’s establishment of a National Youth Fund with a capital of N$257 million to support skills development and apprenticeships.
The fund is aimed at boosting employability and increasing youth participation in the economy.
She also called for the professionalisation and commercialisation of sport as a driver of development, peace, and social inclusion. She said her goal is to see sports facilities in every constituency in Namibia.
Nandi-Ndaitwah praised the Physically Active Youth (PAY) Programme, run by Dr Ndimbira-Rosner in Katutura for over 20 years.
The initiative supports learners with after-school activities and includes a cycling programme that has had a significant impact on young people.
She was joined at the luncheon by Ambassador Kaire Mbuende and member of parliament Fenny Tutjavi.
