Namibian artist and businessman Lazarus Shiimi, stage name Gazza, unveiled his youth employment opportunity, which has finally reached its peak for his project that will see about 58 young Namibians getting training in Dubai (UAE) to sharpen their skills in artisan at Streit Group, an armoured vehicle manufacturer.
Speaking to Youth Corner, after seeing the first batch off to the UAE, Gazza said this is an employment opportunity for young Namibians. “I made a call to artisans from VTCs and others who have completed their vocational training because the opportunity that I got right now is for artisans like welders, mechanics, auto electrifications and upholsters,” he said.

Gazza said the young Namibians will be on training for six months training with the company, and after that, they will decide whether or not they will sign an employment contract with that company.
The project arose last year but dragged because of technicalities. “I had to liaise with the youth department at State House, which then referred me to the human trafficking department and Interpol, which then first had to do due diligence at the company that the team was heading to,” explained Gazza on why the project took longer to start after its announcement last year.

In terms of logistics, Gazza said all clearance had to be done, which took a while to ensure the team was going to a conducive environment and the company was indeed a legitimate one. “A green light was given towards the end of last year for the project to finally kick-off. I will also have to go with the third batch to check up on them”.

After hearing pleas from nurses, Gazza is currently in talks with hospitals in Dubai to see where they can accommodate them in terms of training and employability. “As a goodwill ambassador of education, I was challenged. I do preach the gospel of education and this was an add on. I have realised what the youth go through after grade 12 or during tertiary level; they need this experience,” he said.

Apart from these projects, Gazza is also busy with youth empowerment programmes in Namibia, collaborating with international companies to create job opportunities. “Namibia is not on par with the rest of the world, especially the western one and that’s why the youth needs this experience. We hope these young Namibians going to these pieces of training will have an eye to spot opportunities that will bring development to the country and eventually help it industrialise,” he stated.
–psiririka@nepc.com.na