Namibia Needs More Than Skilled Graduates: Who Will Finance Their Future?

Namibia faces a development challenge that deserves greater national attention. Thousands of young people continue to search for employment, while employers in various sectors raise concerns about shortages of suitably qualified and technically competent workers.How can a country struggle with youth unemployment while simultaneously experiencing shortages of the skills required to develop its economy? Perhaps the answer lies not only in the qualifications we encourage young people to pursue, but also in how effectively we prepare and support them to participate in economic activities after completing their education.For decades, many Namibian families have understood educational success through a familiar sequence: complete secondary school, enrol at university, obtain a degree, secure an office job and build a career. There is nothing inherently wrong with this pathway. Namibia needs doctors, engineers, teachers, accountants, lawyers and researchers. However, obtaining a university qualification does not automatically guarantee employment. The economy cannot absorb every graduate into formal employment.This requires us to reconsider how we define educational success. A university graduate who spends several years searching for employment is not necessarily better positioned economically than someone who has acquired a practical skill and earns a living providing services. Yet possessing a technical qualification does not automatically guarantee an income either. What often makes the difference is access to equipment, capital, customers and opportunities to put that qualification to productive use.Skills without tools cannot create jobsTechnical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) therefore deserves a more prominent place in Namibia's development agenda. Vocational education has sometimes been perceived as an alternative for learners who could not secure university admission. This overlooks the knowledge, precision and problem-solving abilities required in modern technical occupations. An electrician installing renewable-energy systems, a welder involved in industrial fabrication or an ICT technician maintaining computer networks contributes directly to economic productivity.The debate should not be about whether university education is better than vocational training. Both are essential. We need engineers, but also electricians who can implement their designs. We need architects, but also builders, plumbers and welders. Agricultural scientists are important, but so are technicians who install irrigation systems, maintain farming equipment and support food production.Namibia's participation in the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China, in September 2026 provides a timely example. The country sent 17 young competitors across 16 skills areas through WorldSkills Namibia under the Namibia Training Authority (NTA). At their official send-off, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised TVET's importance to economic transformation, particularly in green hydrogen, oil and gas, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and digital technology.Victor George, a welding competitor from the Eenhana Vocational Training Centre, received the Best of Nation Award as Namibia's highest-performing competitor. His achievement demonstrates the potential of Namibian technical talent, but it also raises a bigger question: what happens to skilled young people after the competitions, training and graduation ceremonies are over?If Namibia can invest resources in preparing young people to compete internationally, it should also consider how to help them apply their skills commercially when they return home. Otherwise, the country risks celebrating technical excellence while leaving capable young people without the tools, capital and opportunities required to practise their trades.This is one of the weaknesses in our approach to vocational education. Young people are encouraged to acquire practical skills and become entrepreneurs, yet realistic pathways to the resources required to establish businesses remain limited. A graduate may know how to weld but cannot afford a welding machine. A qualified solar installer may lack tools and transport. An agricultural graduate may know how to produce vegetables but have no access to land, water or irrigation equipment.The qualification then becomes an achievement without immediate economic application, and the graduate can eventually join the same queue of job seekers that vocational training was supposed to help reduce. What is the economic value of producing technically competent graduates if we do not create practical mechanisms for them to use their skills?Financing must follow vocational trainingNamibia already has institutions that could help address this challenge. The NTA, Development Bank of Namibia (DBN), National Youth Development Fund, Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA), Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA), regional councils, local authorities and training providers have functions that could be better coordinated. The country does not necessarily need another institution. It needs stronger links between those already responsible for skills development, enterprise financing and economic development.The NTA administers the Vocational Education and Training Levy, which supports the National Training Fund, including Key Priority Training Grants and Employer Training Grants. This is primarily a skills-development financing mechanism rather than a general business start-up fund. Existing NTA structures could therefore be used to identify competent graduates, provide enterprise-readiness support and connect qualifying candidates with institutions mandated to provide business finance.The DBN could play a more deliberate role. Its general SME financing arrangements have indicated a minimum loan amount of N$150 000, which may exceed what newly qualified artisans need to establish modest operations.A welding graduate in Oshakati, for example, may need N$50 000 to N$70 000 for a welding machine, protective equipment, tools and initial materials. Such a graduate may not need a large commercial loan but could struggle to secure smaller financing because of limited collateral and the absence of a business track record.Government and participating financial institutions should therefore consider a dedicated TVET graduate financing pathway structured around the actual equipment and working-capital requirements of different occupations. Financing need not mean handing graduates unrestricted cash. Approved funds could purchase essential equipment directly from suppliers, accompanied by mentorship, bookkeeping support and assistance in finding customers.The National Youth Development Fund offers a potentially relevant mechanism because its published financing terms include support for qualifying youth-owned enterprises, concessional interest rates and collateral-free financing. A clearly identified pathway for TVET graduates could be established within this existing framework, with documentation proportionate to the amounts required.*This article was shortened for space.

Namibia Needs More Than Skilled Graduates: Who Will Finance Their Future?

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-12

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Namibia Needs More Than Skilled Graduates: Who Will Finance Their Future?

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-12

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