Rudolf Gaiseb
Newly appointed Intercontinental Youth Connect (IYC) ambassador for Namibia Tjipura Tjipura aims to localise global opportunities for Namibian youth, and to ensure that youth are at the forefront of the country’s economic and social transformation.
Tjipura, a young Namibian activist and researcher who advocates for economic and social justice, has shared vocal support for the implementation of a universal monthly grant to combat poverty and food insecurity, underscoring the need for sustainable solutions and government accountability.
Recognising the theme “Joining Youth Forces to Promote Peace, Unity and Partnership for Development”, the new ambassador indicated that IYC Namibia’s 2026 agenda is strategically aligned with the recently launched National Development Plan 6 (NDP6).
Through the Basic Income Grant Coalition and Economic and Social Justice Trust, Tjipura has been vocal on Namibia’s extractive and energy industries, such as green hydrogen, where he pushes for transparent management and the inclusion of local youth in emerging economic opportunities and equal resource beneficiation.
He was selected out of a thousand applicants, and being entrusted with the IYC’s mandate within Namibia, Tjipura wrote in a statement that, “The appointment is not merely a title but a commitment to building bridges.”
This is IYC’s initial cycle in Namibia, and it aims to rise above “symbolic events”, focusing on projects, solutions, and “real transformation”. Meanwhile, IYC corporate affairs lead Daniel Zinyama also echoed that the appointment signals a new era of structured youth engagement focused on transitioning young Namibians from policy observers to active implementers of national development goals.
IYC Namibia’s parent organisation is based in Harare, Zimbabwe, and advances youth diplomacy, leadership development, and innovation.
Among many others, IYC Namibia has partnered with Elysian Communities Foundation, a local stakeholder, to focus on several high-impact areas during the initial cycle.
These high-impact areas include mobilising youth forces to support the four pillars of Namibia’s National Development Plan, particularly in economic transformation and social resilience.
It prioritises Namibian youth by providing them with entry points into the Youth Investment Network (YIN) and the Africa-Asia Youth Platform.
The Youth Investment Network is involved in youth skills development through resources and services such as mentorship, while the Africa-Asia Youth Platform initiative is dedicated to youth entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology transfer between Africa and Asia.
It also seeks to align Namibian delegations for international leadership circuits in Ethiopia, South Africa, Dubai, and Ghana to hone diplomatic readiness.
In the meantime, Tjipura told New Era that through partnerships with organisations championing rural youth development, they seek to expand youth participation in IYC’s activities.
“Our target is to ensure that we mobilise young people from rural areas and host workshops for them. After these trainings, we have training of trainers so that they can also train their fellow young people in their communities so that they are capacitated and are able to further this knowledge and training to their peers,” he said.
IYC Namibia has scheduled a technical consultative forum in mid-May this year, developed to create a youth implementation roadmap for national growth.
Tjipura looks forward to hosting regional projects in partnership with local authority councillors and the National Youth Council to ensure that whatever is being discussed in the summits reaches the youth in rural areas.
