A 27-year-old Naboth De Celestino from the Kavango Region recently started his own law firm through assistance from the National Youth Development Fund.

He said he decided to take this less travelled route as an inspiration to his peers, as opposed to first being attached to an existing law firm.

De Celestino Incorporated is the latest law firm in Rundu, Kavango East.

The firm officially started operating two and a half months ago.

De Celestino's friend, Pedro Muyo-Yeta, applauded him.

“The norm is that you practise under somebody for at least three years before you eventually open your own law firm. This guy is defying customs that have been followed in the profession for 20 or 30 years. You have demonstrated to us that we must always want more and strive for better for ourselves.”

Rundu Mayor Andreas Jikerwa said young people who are starting up businesses in their home towns are contributing towards a broader vision.

“Our aspiration must be to create an environment in which young professionals can confidently say, 'I can build my career in Rundu. I can establish my business in Rundu. I can employ people in Rundu and I can succeed in Rundu.”

The Chairperson of the Junior National Council, Anna Andimba, said De Celestino's journey proves that youth is not a barrier to leadership but a launching pad for it.

“Celestino stands before us today as the youngest managing director of a law firm in the history of our republic. Let that sink in. At an age when many are still finding their footing in the profession, this young man has taken bold steps to establish a fully fledged legal practice, an achievement that speaks not only to his personal discipline and vision but also to what is possible when a young Namibian is given the opportunity, the support and the courage to dream beyond the ordinary.”

De Celestino explained that it is often assumed that building a serious professional career only comes from being based in Windhoek, something he set out to prove wrong.

“I do not accept that. I believe that we can establish serious institutions and other facilities within the Republic of Namibia. I believe that our region should not simply export its brightest young people to other parts of the country. We must create environments in which they can return, establish themselves, employ others and contribute to the communities from which they come.”