Martin Endjala
The Minister of Industrialisation and Trade, Lucia Iipumbu, has expressed concern that the job market is becoming increasingly saturated for new graduates.
She pointed to the need for graduates to shift away from traditional employment aspirations and consider entrepreneurship as a viable alternative.
Iipumbu made these remarks during the launch of Harambean Entrepreneurship, a collaborative initiative with FirstRand Namibia and First National Bank, aimed at promoting entrepreneurship.
Highlighting the high rate of unemployment in the country, Iipumbu encouraged young people to explore entrepreneurship and foster partnerships as a means to improve their lives and contribute to the economy.
“As a government, we have a role to play, but the space for traditional employment is shrinking for new graduates. Therefore, initiatives like partnering to establish micro, medium, and small enterprises have become essential in our efforts to empower young people to become entrepreneurs,” she said.
Iipumbu also questioned why Namibian products are not being exported like other goods that come into Namibia. She expressed her desire to see Namibian entrepreneurs excel in the international market through the various bilateral trading channels that Namibia has established with other countries.
She emphasized that banks have a lot to offer in terms of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) packages, especially for startups.
However, she noted that an information gap hinders some entrepreneurs from approaching banks, and she called for information to be readily accessible to all Namibians.
The Minister stated that the government is actively working on policies to enhance the support provided to entrepreneurs in the country, making it easier for them to access the necessary tools to grow their businesses.
Iipumbu also urged banks and other sectors providing initiatives to maintain a database to track the progress of entrepreneurs, particularly informal traders who often miss out on such opportunities.
Deputy Minister of Information Communications and Technology, Emma Teofelus, also spoke at the event and stressed the importance of entrepreneurs utilizing digital tools to remain competitive in an evolving technological landscape.
She mentioned that the government is exploring measures to reduce data costs and make phone purchases more affordable, aiming to enable small businesses to thrive in the digital and e-commerce sectors. The Harambean programme, with over 300 subscribers and more than U$2 billion in capital raised globally, seeks to provide value to entrepreneurs through smart partnerships that enhance the meaningfulness of their businesses.
