With the high rate of unemployment among youth, many young people wallow without hope for their future.

To inject those finding themselves in this situation with a sense of enthusiasm, this year's Copper Festival started off with a youth conference, educating young people on the economic opportunities open to them.

It was a jam-packed event attended by young people from around Tsumeb and others who travelled from other towns.

More than half a million dollars was raised at the recently launched Mayoral Development Fund gala dinner for the Oshakati Town Council.

The fund is aimed at raising money to help the needy and vulnerable members of society.

Oshakati Mayor Leonard Hango says his council is faced with the challenge of rural-urban migration, with people now squatting in informal settlements.

The council also wants to create land and housing for residents, which means it is leading in land and housing development in the entire country.