Patience Makwele
Young Namibians, particularly those in rural and underserved communities, are set to gain wider access to digital learning opportunities following the launch of the Namibia Learning Passport in Keetmanshoop on Wednesday.
The digital learning platform which was launched by the ministry of education, innovation, youth, sports, arts and culture in partnership with UNICEF, is designed to allow young people to continue learning beyond the classroom and develop skills relevant to education, employment and entrepreneurship.
The launch formed part of Namibia’s commemoration of International Youth Day 2026 which was held under the theme “Youth Advancing Multilateral Cooperation through Technology and Partnerships.”
Education minister Sanet Steenkamp said the platform was particularly significant for young people living in areas where access to educational resources and reliable connectivity remains limited.
Through digital and offline access to learning materials, the platform is intended to help young people continue learning regardless of where they live.
“Your postcode should never determine your potential,” Steenkamp said, adding that circumstances may shape a young person’s journey but should not place a ceiling on their aspirations.
The minister said the platform reflects the need for education to extend beyond formal schooling, particularly as young people face a rapidly changing world shaped by artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, renewable energy, digital entrepreneurship and data science.
She challenged young Namibians not only to consume technology but to learn how to use it to create solutions and opportunities.
“Do not fear technology, learn it, question it, use it and create with it,” Steenkamp said.
UNICEF deputy representative Toshiko Takahashi said the Learning Passport was more than a digital education platform, describing it as a tool for lifelong learning and a link between education, employability, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Importantly, the platform was co-created with young people in the Kavango East region, according to Takahashi, bringing youth participation into the development of a programme intended to serve them.
The Learning Passport will provide access to courses covering areas such as digital literacy, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, health and wellbeing, life skills and sports for development through the Sports Futures Academy programme.
The platform also supports self-paced learning, with its digital and offline capabilities intended to reduce the disadvantage experienced by young people whose access to connectivity is limited.
Takahashi said the initiative comes at a time when digital skills are becoming increasingly important to young people entering the labour market.
She cited estimates that almost 70% of people under 25 in sub-Saharan Africa are expected to work in jobs requiring digital skills over the coming decade, while access to quality digital learning remains uneven.
Namibia’s young population presents both a challenge and an opportunity, she said, with more than half of the country’s population under the age of 30.
Takahashi said equipping young people with the right skills and opportunities could help drive economic growth, innovation and stronger communities.
She highlighted other UNICEF-supported youth programmes in Namibia, saying more than 300 adolescent girls and young women from Kavango East and Omaheke have strengthened their digital literacy, financial literacy and life skills through the Skills for Girls programme.
Through the Upshift programme, more than 400 young innovators have also received training, mentorship and seed funding to develop social entrepreneurship projects aimed at addressing challenges in their communities.
Steenkamp, however, said technology must not become another source of inequality.
She said digital initiatives should connect rural and urban Namibia, expand opportunities for young women, include young people with disabilities and reach communities that have historically been underserved.
“Technology must expand human potential, not narrow it,” she said.
The Learning Passport is being aligned with Namibia’s broader development and education priorities, including Vision 2030, the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), the Education Sector Strategic Plan, the National Youth Policy and Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.
Takahashi said the launch demonstrated the importance of partnerships between the government, the United Nations, the private sector, educators, youth organisations and communities in preparing young people for a changing economy.
She said young people should not be viewed only as beneficiaries of development but as active participants in shaping Namibia’s future.
Steenkamp echoed this message, urging young Namibians to continue learning, adapt to changing demands and use their skills to create opportunities for themselves and others.
“Do not merely prepare for the future, build it,” she told young people who were Keetmanshop in Keetmanshoop.
