The Namibia Training Authority (NTA) CEO Erick Nenghwanya has warned unregistered training providers that they will be shut down.
He made these remarks during the official opening of the 2026 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) calendar year in Windhoek last week.

The event attended by various public figures, and trainees was observed under the theme ‘Transformation for Impact: Powering Future-Ready Competencies’.

“The moment you are dealing in TVET business, and you are not registered, rest assured that your days are numbered. We will come to close that centre down,” he stressed.
Nenghwanya noted there are training providers operating in the TVET training space, while not ensuring full compliance, disregarding the country’s laws and procedures.

The CEO noted that, currently, there are 71 registered training providers.
He also indicated that the TVET calendar year is beginning with a total trainee enrolment number of about 13 500. Females represent 55% of that figure, which translates to about 7 432.

“This number is expected to increase substantially given that registration at some of the institutions is still ongoing. We have 71 registered training providers,” he added. Deputuy  Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture (MEIYSAC), Dino Ballotti, warned that the mindset of looking down on TVET as a path taken after academic failure is of the past, as the world is quickly shifting.

“The economies that will succeed are not those that simply produce degrees, but the economies that produce skills.”

On minister Sanet Steenkamp’s behalf, he underscored that the country needs skilled professionals who possess the ability to transform knowledge into practical solutions.

MEIYSAC reaffirmed that Namibia remains focused on becoming industrialised.
“Our vision remains that we want an industrialised nation.”
Also a speaker at the event, a Gobabis Vocational Training Centre trainee and businesswoman, Rebekka Neumbo, advised her fellow trainees to not let society define what success should be like for them. “Let us build with our hands. Let us build with our minds. Most importantly, let us build with vision,” she added.

– Nampa