Only one youth from the ||Kharas Region has secured funding from the National Youth Development Fund (NYDF) out of 13,809 applications nationwide.
This was revealed by the ||Kharas Regional Council's Chairperson, Gerrit Witbooi, who described it as concerning and called for more practical support for young people in the southern region.
Witbooi made the call at the Business Management Workshop under the National Development Fund in Keetmanshoop on Monday.
The Development Bank of Namibia, in collaboration with the office of the Governor and Keetmanshoop Vocational Training Centre, hosted the two-day event to equip young aspiring entrepreneurs with business skills and mentor them on the National Youth Development Fund.
Witbooi said the government has invested N$317 million into the fund. and that development finance institutions had received 13,809 applications in total, and approximately N$135 million had been approved and N$90,8 million disbursed.
"Within the ||Kharas region, we have identified only a single young man among two individuals who has thus far received support from the National Youth Development Fund despite our region having submitted hundreds of applications. I raise it respectfully, not only as an accusation but also as a call for greater visibility, clear feedback, stronger regional balance and more practical support for applicants."
Witbooi stated that he wants the workshop to equip young people with knowledge and skills to establish sustainable businesses and improve their chances of securing funding.
"We are informed that the DBN has identified recurring challenges in applications, including limited experience in business setup and management and gaps in basic information about developing sustainable enterprises. Ladies and gentlemen, may this workshop serve as a catalyst to confront these challenges, offering not just solutions but also acting as a crucial bridge between aspiration and bankability rather than merely a one-off event."
The Councillor of the Keetmanshoop Urban constituency, Ulrich Dawids, urges the youth to take this workshop seriously.
"In many of these training and workshops there are opportunities, and we miss out on the opportunities. You come here, leave the opportunity and stay. And while we stay there, there is no development, no employment. Let this workshop be the end of that. After we have been taught at the workshop, let's work."