The Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theophelus, emphasised to the Children's Parliament the critical importance of self-leadership as a foundation for guiding others. 

Reflecting on her own journey, Theophelus, who once served as Deputy Speaker of the Children's Parliament, shared how this platform propelled her into the realm of lawmaking.

As a passionate advocate for continuous legislative development, Theofelus found herself returning to the August House as a lawmaker and now serves as the Minister of ICT. 

She advised the MPs to pursue continuous self-improvement and lifelong learning, ensuring they are well-prepared for future leadership opportunities.

"Your environment determines how far you can go, so you come from various towns, various schools, and various backgrounds, but this could be a fishtank for you or it can be an ocean. You have to determine that your personal growth will be determined by your environment, but it's you who makes the best of it."

The minister encouraged members to be confident and to make the most of the opportunity to lead as many children as possible who did not get this opportunity to be in leadership for the Namibian child.

"As members of the Children's Parliament, you've been given a life experience to be here in the chambers of parliament. There are many millions of Nambian children in this country who do not have the opportunity to come to the capital city and sit in this chamber. You live the experience here; your networks, your connections, and the knowledge that you are acquiring about the importance of lawmaking are all that you will learn in the next few days as members of parliament." 

Theophelus also responded to several questions posed by the MPs on career guidance and addressing disparities in technological devices among schools.

"In many instances, the accessibility to information for children in urban areas is much greater than that for children in rural areas, whether it is the ability to have access to libraries sometimes or the ability to have telecommunication devices be able to get information online, the affordability to get that information. So, in some instances, the need arises that some learners would require much more to get them on par with other learners who have those resources available at their disposal."