Allexer Namundjembo
Youth leaders say the latest youth and sport budget must deliver real jobs and make training programmes more useful.
Sean Mapowe, a youth leader from Okatope village in Onyaanya Constituency, said he hopes funding for the National Youth Service (NYS) will improve the quality of training and lead to jobs.
“We have more people who went to study there; some of them studied horticulture and other courses, but they have never had any job offers due to their qualifications they obtained there,” he said.
Mapowe said the government should make use of the skills gained through training programmes.
“You have green schemes that are falling apart. If you hire those trainees to take over those schemes, there will be a huge difference,” told the Windhoek Observer on Sunday.
His comments follow the tabling of the 2026/2027 budget for youth development, sport and national service in Parliament.
Deputy minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts, and culture Dino Ballotti presented the budget on behalf of minister Sanet Steenkamp last week.
“This budget must never be observed as a social cost, but rather as a strategic national investment in the future of young people,” Ballotti said.
He said young people under 35 make up 71.1% of the population and can drive economic growth if supported.
The government allocated N$35.1 million to youth development programmes.
The funding will support skills training, business development and access to finance through the Namibia Youth Credit Scheme.
During the previous financial year, 353 youth completed one-year training at centres such as !Kai //Ganaxab, Berg Aukas and Frans Dimbare. Another 119 completed semester-based training at youth resource centres.
A total of 908 youth were trained in business management. The government plans to support 1,960 youth through training, financing, and mentorship in the coming year.
Youth agriculture cooperatives have been set up in all 14 regions to support job creation.
The government also reached 4,608 youth through life skills programmes and over 62,000 through sexual and reproductive health services in partnership with the Namibia Planned Parenthood Association.
Leadership programmes engaged 284 youth and Namibia hosted the Commonwealth Youth Council Consultative Dialogue in Windhoek, which led to the Windhoek Declaration.
To improve infrastructure, N$19.8 million has been allocated to build youth resource centres in Mariental, Opuwo, Otjiwarongo and Nkurenkuru.
The government also plans to upgrade industrial parks to support youth businesses.
NYS received N$122.4 million, with a target to train 1 500 youth.
During the review period, 1 030 recruits were trained with support from the Namibian Defence Force (NDF), Namibian Police, Namibia Correctional Service (NCS) and the Zambia National Service. A total of 600 recruits joined the defence force.
Another 987 recruits were deployed to community service projects, while 612 received technical and vocational training.
Cabinet approved the deployment of recruits to government offices and regional councils for three months, ending in May 2026.
The National Youth Council has been allocated N$25.3 million to support governance reforms and prepare for a General Assembly.
In the sport sector, N$140 million has been set aside to build 28 sports facilities across all regions. Government also allocated N$60 million to upgrade the Independence Stadium in Windhoek.
Other funding includes N$5 million for mass participation programmes, N$3 million for Namibia’s participation in the AUSC Region 5 Games in Mozambique and N$2.5 million for sport development.
Funding has also been given to national bodies such as the Namibia Rugby Union, Namibia Hockey Union, the Namibia National Olympic Committee and the Namibia National Paralympic Committee.
The ministry said challenges remain, including high costs, limited skills, land issues and transport expenses.
Ballotti urged members of parliament to support the budget, saying it will have a long-term impact.
