Artificial intelligence must create jobs rather than replace workers and should help alleviate Namibia’s unemployment crisis.

That is the position President Netumbo Nandi‑Ndaitwah is taking as the country secures a N$240 million investment from China for its Smart City pilot project.

She called the Smart City pilot a major step towards innovation, industrialisation and skills development as Namibia accelerates digital transformation.

Nandi‑Ndaitwah said she wants the partnership with Huawei to deliver more than cutting‑edge technology; it should also reskill and equip young Namibians for AI‑driven industries.

"When we are going for AI, what will happen to the people who are supposed to be employed and do the work that is now going to be done by AI? In a country like Namibia, where unemployment is high, and you take those who were employed, and you put them back in the street, that is going to be very dangerous, and we don't want that to happen," she said after touring Huawei's research and development facilities in Shenzhen.

Huawei leadership also sees digital infrastructure as central to Namibia's economic ambitions.

Senior Vice‑President Leo Chen told the presidential delegation that a strong digital backbone will be crucial to achieving Namibia’s Sixth National Development Plan, with investments in smart public services, digital government, citizen services and inclusive finance expected to drive long‑term economic growth.