Windhoek
Bridgehead, a business entity owned by the National Youth Council (NYC), says it will strive to fulfil its mandate to economically uplift and empower Namibian youth.
Ndeulipula Hamutumwa, the executive director of Bridgehead, said, “Bridgehead is a unique special purpose vehicle for economic participation for the NYC as an organised entity. We have envisaged and have set up the entity to be a prime vehicle for economic empowerment for youth on a broad-based basis and ensure youth participation in different economic sectors of Namibia.”
The National Youth Council Act makes provision for NYC to enter into or to establish its own business and thus the founding of Bridgehead.
Bridgehead was registered and established in 2010 but it only became operational in 2013. It has stakes in four companies, namely: Uukumwe Youth Empowerment (Pty) Ltd where it has a 40 per cent stake, Highledge Investment Pty where it owns half of the shares, DMS Communications where it has a minority stake of 10 percent and Oshiwana Property Developer where it owns a quarter of the shares.
Bridgehead was also approached by Chemetals Brickmaking Factory with an offer to purchase their factory situated between Oshakati and Oshikuku.
The factory has been valued at around N$15 million and Bridgehead successfully negotiated funding to obtain the property and negotiations are in the conclusive stage.
JP Van der Westhuizen, a representative of youth desk at the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN), said: “Bridgehead is a 100 per cent owned enterprise of NYC that serves NYC affiliates. Personally, I am pleased with what has been achieved until now and the road ahead, which is decentralisation of youth empowerment.”
DTA Youth League secretary general Bensen Katjirijova, who also attended the meeting, said, “We want Bridgehead to touch and address problems faced by the young people.”