Paheja Siririka

WINDHOEK- Innovation for Empowerment and Development (IFED) Global has selected two Namibians to represent the country at the Youth Diplomacy Summit, slated for Accra, Ghana from July 16th – 20th 2019 at the University of Ghana, Legon. 

They are Ndahafa Hapulile, a 32-year-old Chemical Engineering graduate from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). She is currently doing her Bachelor of Law at the University of South Africa (Unisa). The other representative is 28-year-old Festus Hangula, a graduate from Wuhan University in the People’s Republic of China who obtained his qualification in Economics, specialising in International Trade and Economics.  

Speaking to the Youth Corner on their task at hand, the duo is ecstatic about their roles. “My role at the event is to be the official spokesperson of Namibia, with the assistance of my co-country representative. I am to make decisions on behalf of the team and lead the country caucus,” said Hapulile.  This is not the first time Hapulile is representing Namibia continentally. “I represented Namibia at the World Youth Forum last year in Egypt,” stated Hapulile. She has also attended the Sadc Solidarity Conference with Western Sahara, in March this year in South Africa. This is an important ambassadorial responsibility that whoever is selected need to uphold and take the opportunity seriously. 

“The requirement is that you must have international exposure and basic diplomatic experience. Among others, you must have leadership capabilities. Any representative should be an objective leader, you must be able to work with people from different backgrounds. Listening is a skill that should be well mastered and one must be willing to invest in the growth of others,” cautioned Hapulile.  

She highlighted the importance the youth needs to play in Namibia. “To all the young people out there, be intentional and purpose driven. Time for rhetoric is over. We are in the fourth industrial revolution. The world needs innovation not routines, the world needs impact, not conformity. The world needs influence, not fanaticism,” she said. Professional public speaker Hangula is currently employed at the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation and serves on various committees in the country. He described himself as a hardworking, task-oriented and ambitious Namibian youth. “I continue to contribute to the lives of fellow young people by motivating them to do better in life through inspirational events. I also serve on the John Pandeni Constituency Development Committee as a youth representative,” said Hangula. 

He is the founder of the Youth Inspire Event, which aims to provide young people with opportunities and motivate them to overcome obstacles between them and personal success. “The youth are the future policymakers, they need to be given the opportunities to grow and be ready when that time comes,” he said. 

Hangula further encouraged the youth to take an active role in the promotion of good governance and uptake of sustainable lifestyles. The powerful message he has for the youth is for them to unleash their God-given potentials and go out there and makes it happen. “Don’t despair, and most importantly, stay away from unreasonable people and situations as they produce unreasonable results,” he concluded.