The Deputy Minister of Sport, Youth, and National Services says the country must do more to tap into youth innovations to address some of the challenges it faces.

Emma Kantema-Gaomas was speaking at the launch of Upshift Namibia, a program aimed at promoting youth entrepreneurship.

The program was first launched in Khomas and is now being rolled out to the Kavango East and Omaheke regions.

Kantema-Gaomas says the youth are ready to take up the challenge of contributing to the country's socio-economic growth, but they need support.

Up to 28 young people from the region are to go through an intensive mentorship program to acquire the skills necessary to manage social enterprises.

"The youth really want to make a difference I know some people believe that youth are lazy and do not want to contribute, but there are those who want to make a meaningful contribution, those who want to make a difference, and Upshift will help us do just that. Upshift is a youth social innovation and social entrepreneurship program that aims to empower especially adolescent girls and young women, as well as a fraction of young men, and I am pleased that we have young men from Kavango East, and I want us to encourage boys not to be left behind."

Kavango East Governor Bonifatius Wakudumo welcomed the program, noting that the region needs innovative ideas to harness its national resource endowments.

"What distinguishes this project is that it allows you to identify a solution to a problem or a challenge in your community, which you can then turn into a business that will benefit the community."

Unicef is spearheading the program aimed at providing the youth with critical and problem-solving skills and access to collateral-free financing, among other things.

Its Country Representative, Rachele Odede, says the Kavango regions are among those where young people face numerous challenges.

She believes the Upshift program can help address social ills affecting young people such as poverty, unemployment, and teenage pregnancy, among others.

"All of this demonstrates the need for strengthening and scaling adolescent and youth-oriented programs like Upshift, as well as other programs implemented by the Ministry of sport, Youth, and National Services and partners, to ensure that we support in building the resilience of young people, equipping them with the skills they need to navigate life and transition to the world of employment and self-sustenance."

An Upshifter from the Khomas Region, Kingston Links, is reaping the benefits of his "Next Gen Reality" virtual reality innovation that could be a hit, especially for the estate marketing sector.

"The other workshop was the ICT workshop, and I'm sure most of you have no idea how a computer works, but these skills are there; they are given to us, so I can answer the question that the state to power is asking about the 21st century skills: I have gained the 21st century skills, and these workshops are part of them that enable me to get those specific skills."

The beneficiaries are expected to produce innovative ideas that can be developed into businesses, which can help address the challenges in their respective communities.