Monika Amunyela
The 19th National Youth Week officially kicked off at the Windhoek Showgrounds on Monday, bringing together more than 500 young delegates from across Namibia.
Organised by the National Youth Council of Namibia, the event, which commenced on Monday, will run until 30 April under the theme “Young Innovators, Real Impact: Turning Challenges into Solutions for Namibia.”
Acting Executive Chairperson of the National Youth Council (NYC), Patience Masua, set the tone by stressing that youth development requires collective action. “And the message that we want to pass on to all of us here, ourselves included, and our stakeholders, is that youth development cannot sit with the ministry alone. It cannot sit with NYC alone. It rests with all of us,” she said, adding that while the government coordinates, the responsibility of implementation lies with the youth.
She called on the private sector to invest and create opportunities; she also urged development partners to scale youth-driven initiatives already underway.
Keynote speaker and Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, Dino Ballotti, delivered an energetic address centred around mindset, discipline and action, urging young people to move beyond complaint and become solution-driven contributors to national development.
“If you choose to look only for problems, you will find them. But I challenge you to look for solutions,” he said, framing the week’s theme as a call to practical impact.
He stressed that excellence is not accidental but built through consistent effort, adding: “There’s a very simple formula to being great: discipline and hard work and the third one is luck. But luck is a byproduct of hard work and discipline.”
He further highlighted the importance of youth inclusion in decision-making, arguing that policies designed without young voices risk missing the mark.
Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, during her concluding speech, reinforced the importance of immediate investment in youth empowerment. “The empowerment of the youth that we talk about requires investment already today and not tomorrow,” assuring the youth that the NYC is standing strongly behind them.
She urged young people to take ownership of their roles in society, adding, “Use your voice and your urgency this week to bring the change in your own life and to bring the change in the life of those that you lead,” she said.
The week began with a parade from Sunshine Private School to the City of Windhoek headquarters, before proceeding to the showgrounds for the official opening. The week will also conclude with the National Youth Excellence Awards, which aim to recognise outstanding young Namibians making a positive impact in their communities.
-mamunyela@nepc.com.na